By DR KELVIN YII
COMMENT: The recent statement by the Prime Minister promising US President Donald Trump a total investment of up to US$24 billion (RM100 billion) to help “strengthen the US economy” is a joke and a huge slap in the face for the needs of the people of Sabah and Sarawak.
Najib Razak was said to have promised an investment of between US$10 billion to US$20 billion in the aviation sector – US$10 billion of which would be to purchase Boeing aircraft by Malaysia Airlines Berhad.
Najib, also added that the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) would invest between US$3 billion to US$4 billion to support US infrastructure development.
This speaks volume of Najib’s intentions to try show off to the world at the expense of the interest of the people including those of Sabah and Sarawak. His priority seems to be more of repairing his tainted image rather than protecting the interest of his people including the so-called safe-deposit in Sabah and Sarawak.
We all pay various taxes including GST which was promised to be pumped back into the country to build schools, roads, hospital and basic necessities, but yet it seems that these money is send away instead to enrich another developed country.
In Sarawak itself, there are 1,020 dilapidated schools in Sarawak, of which 415 are under Category 3 which shows severe conditions and is considered unsafe even for use of students. In the rural areas, only about 40 to 45% of the homes have clean running to their homes.
Road conditions in many areas of the state are also in appalling conditions including the Ba Kelalan-Long Semadoh as well as Miri-Marudi road. On top of that, there is also a lack in hospitals and medical facilities in the rural areas.
Even with all these needs in the State, but yet the Prime Minister and BN Federal government chose to send money away, instead prioritising the interest of the people and investing in the needs of the State.
Instead Sarawak right now needs to use our State’s money which belong to the people of Sarawak to cover up for the short-comings of the federal BN government including repairing the dilapidated school buildings, improving the facilities, even though this is the responsibility of the federal government.
I thus question Abang Johari, our Chief Minister and Barisan Nasional Sarawak’s unwavering support for such a government even though it has not prioritised the needs of its own people.
Are the State BN component parties going to sit idle and continue to allow the Federal Government to side-line and marginalise us further?
BN Sarawak continuous support for the federal BN government even though they have constantly neglected us and took away our resources and rights defy reasonable logic and speaks volume of their intentions and lack of heart for the people of Sarawak.
- Dr Kelvin Yii, is Special Assistant to to the DAP Sarawak chairman and MP for Kuching
