Don’t send money to Kelantan, Melaka or Pahang; must be for Sarawak: CM
KAPIT: Sarawak will pay what it owes the federal government but on one condition.
This condition is, the money is not diverted to other states, said Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
“Politics aside, we have to build schools in the rural areas even though we have to pay in advance the loan using our money but it must be used for Sarawak. Don’t send it to Kelantan, don’t send to Melaka, Pahang. Must be for Sarawak only,” he said when launching the 11A Zone of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) for the Pelagus, Katibas, Bukit Goram and Baleh constituencies at Rumah Robert Ngumbang, Nanga Sebatu, Batang Rajang yesterday.
Abang Johari, who is also Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) president, said he wanted the federal government to be fair with Sarawak when the contra loan has been settled.
“When it comes to the matter of education and schools, I put aside politics because these things affect our children’s future.
“I want them to learn in a better environment,” he told this to about 6,000 GPS supporters at the event.
He said that while it was the responsibility of the state government to pay its debt to the federal government, the central government on its part must reciprocate accordingly by using the repayment money it receives to repair dilapidated schools in the state.
“Besides, education is the responsibility of the federal government,” he reiterated.
“Do not turn around and distribute the money to other states because that’s our money. Sarawak gets the top priority as far as that money is concerned,” he said.
Recently, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng had said that Putrajaya would speed up the process of procurement and expenditure of up to RM350 million for the first phase of a project to repair dilapidated schools in Sarawak as soon as the state government made a RM350 million repayment to the debt.
According to Lim, the Sarawak government still owed the federal government RM2.352 billion as of June 30 this year.
He said that the federal government had in principle agreed to accept a part of the repayment on the Sarawak government of RM1 billion to be allocated for the repair of dilapidated school, which was subjected to the stipulated legal mechanism.
He said that the Sarawak government must pay back up to RM1 billion of its debt to Putrajaya into the Federal Government Consolidated Fund.
On other matters, Johari also reiterated his stand of not compromising on the five per cent tax levied on exported gas and oil products.
“We want the state to have an extra RM3 billion in savings,” he said.
Abang Johari went on to announce an allocation of RM5 million to build a new market in Kapit while Song was given RM4 million for the construction of its new wet market.
Abang Johari also approved a RM10-million allocation to improve a road linking Ngemah and Song areas.
Also present at the launch were Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Tan Sri Dr James Masing, Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) president Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) president Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.
Zone 11A covers Pelagus, Goram, Baleh and Katibas state constituencies.
