KUCHING: Pakatan Harapan (PH) claims that education and the issue of dilapidated schools in Sarawak continue to be politicised although both the disputing parties are well aware of the terms and mechanisms involved.
Kuching Member of Parliament Dr Kevin Yii said the mechanisms included the need for open tender and proper monitoring of implemented projects.
He explained that there are four main mechanisms that were agreed upon between the federal and state governments and one important requirement is that the repair of dilapidated schools in Sarawak should be offered through open tender to ensure transparency and fair value based on the current federal government financial arrangements.
Based on public statements, he gathered that the state government paid RM350 million last August 4. So as at August 26, about three weeks have passed.
“Somehow, the state government expects all proper procedures including proper open tendering process, transparent selection process, among other things, to be done within three weeks.
“Under the new government, there are proper procedures that must be adhered to before any contract is awarded. This is a must, whatever the amount, including the use of my own constituency funds,” he said in a statement.
“The matter of dilapidated schools is a chronic and inherited issue and did not occur only when the new government took over. So attempts to shift blame to the new government is hypocritical as the state leaders were part of the administration that allowed this rot to happen.
In the first phase of allocation by the previous government in 2017/2018 to repair the schools, Dr Yii said it was reported that 77.9 percent of the projects that used Industrial Building System (IBS) were delayed.
“So the issue again is not just about allocating the fund, but also whether it has been fully and properly utilised for its intended purpose.
“If there are no steps or conditions (open tender, proper monitoring etc) in place to make sure wastage or corruption do not happen, no matter how much money is allocated, it will never be enough.
“I understand the need to expedite this important issue as I myself have continuously debated on it in Parliament and urged all the relevant parties including the federal and state governments to finalise the arrangements,” he said.
Dr Yii added that he himself will follow up with the relevant agency, including the Ministry of Education, on the status of the project.
“I believe it should be given priority and expedited for the interest of our students and the good of our community,” he said.
“But while we push for it to be expedited, it is also important that proper mechanism and transparent selection and monitoring are in place to prevent corruption or abuse which will cause more wastage of our public funds.
“Again, I regret how this issue has been politicised as school children get caught in the political crossfire.
“So I welcome the assurance given by the state and federal governments that they will work together to resolve this long-standing issue.”
