KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 10 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today denied claims by PAS’ Bachok MP Mohd Syahir Sulaiman that Kelantan is being treated as "stepchild” by the federal government.

Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said that the federal government's commitment to Kelantan's progress was evident through its allocation strategies.

"That view is baseless. I have told them that the allocation for Kelantan is the highest, and we help with flood mitigation, we help with clean water and state development.

"The allocation given by the current Unity Government is more than PAS and Bersatu gave in the previous government. Even with all that, he's claiming 'stepson'?” he asked after delivering his keynote address at the 36th Asia-Pacific Roundtable here

He also advised Syahir as a young leader to be more courageous in solving the internal problems faced by his party in addition to giving suggestions for improvement.

On Wednesday, Syahir in the answer session during a live debate with Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli said that the main reason Kelantan is still a poor state is due to the issue of "federalism".

Syahir claimed that the issue has caused several rights of the state of Kelantan to be denied, including royalties due to administrative differences between the federal government and the state.

In 2022, Kelantan recorded a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of merely RM16,567, the lowest in the country. In comparison, the national average was RM54,863.

Earlier this week, Anwar called on voters in Kelantan to make an informed decision to change their lives and of their children for the better when they go to the polls on August 12.

He said they must ask the question of why Kelantan was lagging far behind compared to other states such as Perak, Johor, Selangor and Penang.