SERIAN: After more than 50 years of working with parties from West Malaysia, Sarawak is worried by the increasing numbers of dilapidated schools.
Education, Science and Technological Research Minister Datuk Seri Michael Manyin Jawong said out of 1457 schools, 1,200 are identified as dilapidated schools.
“Throughout the whole of Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak have the most numbers of dilapidated schools, with 415 schools in Sarawak which are beyond repair. We need to build new ones,” he said during the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) Flag Rally at Serian community hall here last night.
He said in this respect, GPS had come at the right time to look into the matter seriously.
“Yes, we cannot deny that there were education ministers from West Malaysia who came to visit the dilapidated schools. They cried and showed feelings of sympathy and empathy, but no action was taken after that. And these people never came back,” he said.
He said now there were two Sarawakians who represented Sarawak at the federal level but could not fight for greater autonomy in education.
“That is why only Sarawakians themselves can fight for their rights. We do not need any Malayan-based parties in Sarawak because our past experience showed that they were not capable of fulfilling even a single promise they gave us,” he pointed out.
He urged the people not to put their hopes in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government anymore.
“Remember what Tok Nan (former chief minister Pehin Sri Adenan Satem) said? He said our rights have been either purposely taken away or eroded, that is why GPS is here to ensure no more rights will be stripped off,” he said.
Meanwhile, Serembu assemblyman Miro Simuh asked the Serian community not to be influenced by the political games of Malayan-based parties.
“Their main objective is to break us apart. They don’t want to see us united,” he stressed.
“We need to really protect Sarawak for our future generations starting from today,” he added.
Also present was MPSerian Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem.
