Sarawak disaster assistance expenditure projected to rise by 15 pct this year, says minister

KUCHING (Jan 15): Sarawak is expecting a 15 per cent increase in disaster-related expenditure this year, said Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Dato Sri Nancy Shukri.

She noted that the projection is based on the more than RM12 million spent on disaster assistance in the state in 2025.

“For Sarawak alone, we spent RM12,315,480 on disaster-related assistance last year.

“As we have now entered 2026, spending has already begun, and we anticipate an increase of about 15 per cent,” she told reporters after officiating the Kampung Angkat Madani KPWKM programme.

Nancy explained the rise in spending is due to disaster situations that began in 2025 continued into the new year, requiring sustained financial preparedness and emergency response.

At the national level, she said the federal government spent RM49,175,945 on disaster-related support across Malaysia in 2025.

“Given the current unpredictable weather patterns, it is essential for authorities to remain on standby.

“Our hope is that such situations will not occur, but we must be financially prepared to ensure assistance can continue to be delivered to the people,” she added.