By William Isau
SIBU, Dec 15: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) candidate for N51 Bukit Assek, Joseph Chieng has slammed incumbent Irene Chang from Democratic Action Party (DAP) for criticizing his election manifesto which includes a proposed extension for the Oya Road Polyclinic.
“This project is for the benefit of the people in Bukit Assek. By criticising my manifesto, it means that she is not taking care of Bukit Assek. She has failed as the ‘wakil rakyat’ (people’s representative) for five years. I hope the voters will see who she is this time,” said Chieng at his daily press conference here today.
Chang in a Facebook post on her Facebook had questioned why Chieng still needed to ask for the project when a new polyclinic project in Teku has been approved for construction under the 12th Malaysia Plan.
According to Chieng, the project in Teku is in the Nangka constituency and not Bukit Assek.
Showing reporters a video of his recent interviews of several patients at the Oya Road Polyclinic, he said they had requested that the clinic be extended to enable it to accommodate more patients.
He explained that Bukit Assek residents, especially those with no transport, will still prefer to go to that polyclinic rather than the proposed one in Teku.
He added the Oya Road Polyclinic is already operating beyond its capacity as it receives between 1,500 to 1,800 patients a day.
“In my manifesto, I said I will lobby for the extension project to be included in the Bukit Assek Development Master Plan, if I win the election,” he said.
The Bukit Assek Development Master Plan covers an area of 300 acres.
Chieng opined that Chang should not criticise the proposed extension as it will be a people’s project.
“We should ask for the extension project instead of criticising it. That should be the way of a ‘wakil rakyat’. So I condemn her message on her Facebook. It is totally wrong to go against the wishes of the people,” he added. — DayakDaily
