KUCHING: Teachers and students of the 400 plus dilapidated schools in the state are in danger as the schools may fall apart or the ceilings may drop and hurt them.
“Will the federal government wait until the teachers and students are hurt in dilapidated schools before starting to repair and rebuild them?,” asked the Sarawak Patriots Association (SPA).
“Citizens are getting tired of telling the authorities that they do not keep their promises or that the authorities were making U-turn decisions,” it pointed out.
SPA said at a town hall session in Lundu on Sunday, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg explained that the Sarawak government had remitted RM350 million as part of the payment of its RM1 billion debt to the federal government as demanded by the Ministry of Finance.
Abang Johari also demanded that Putrajaya repair the schools as soon as possible.
In an immediate response, SPA noted that the federal Finance Minister stated that the repair of the dilapidated schools had started as the ministry had written to the Education Ministry to commence work.
Expressing deep concern that the federal government had yet to commence repair of the schools, SPA said it respected the federal government for practising transparency and accountability.
“If the Finance Ministry has initiated the commencement of the repair and rebuilding of the dilapidated schools in Sarawak, why have the federal works minister and chief minister not been informed? Is there transparency?,” it asked.
SPA urged the federal government to keep its promises.
It added, “Earlier, the Finance Minister requested Sarawak to pay RM350 million as part payment of the RM1 billion debts with Putrajaya. The state government has fulfilled the request and paid the sum.
“The Pakatan Harapan GE14 election manifesto Promise No. 44 was ‘Improving the quality of education and healthcare services’.
“How can the quality of education be better if over 400 schools in Sarawak are still dilapidated?
“Can we Malaysians trust a government which does not keep its promises? Do we trust a government which keeps changing its decisions?”
SPA added it fully supported the state government’s efforts in pursuing Putrajaya so that work to repair the dilapidated schools could commence immediately.
