KUCHING, May 29: Kota Sentosa assemblyman Wilfred Yap has expressed his disappointment over Stampin MP Chong Chieng Jen allegedly not seeking funds to repair SK Laksamana’s damaged carpark roof from the Ministry of Education (MoE) when the deputy minister is also from Democratic Action Party (DAP).
Yap said he was shocked when informed by SK Laksamana’s Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) president Boniface Lembang Jingai during his visit to the school this morning, that the school is still short of funds to repair the extensive damage to the school’s carpark roof caused by a severe storm two months ago, despite already receiving funds from Chong.
He pointed out that education is the responsibility of the federal government under the Federal Constitution and coincidentally, the Deputy Minister of Education is Tanjong MP Lim Hui Ying, who is Chong’s comrade in DAP.
“I am disappointed and perplexed as to why Chong had not taken the proactive action of immediately making representations to the MoE through the Deputy Education Minister who is from DAP, to speedily cover the whole cost of the urgent repair of the carpark roof at SK Laksamana, as it is the responsibility of the federal government to cover the whole costs of the repairs,” he said in a statement today.
Yap explained that despite education not being a State responsibility under the Federal Constitution, he is ready to assist SK Laksamana to cover the shortfall amount of the required costs.
After being briefed with the full facts and furnished with supporting documents, Yap will submit an application for approval to use a sum of RM15,000 from his allocated Minor Rural Project (MRP) funding of RM2 million for N12 Kota Sentosa to assist in repairing SK Laksamana’s carpark roof.
He also stressed that contrary to the ‘misleading’ perception created by DAP, Yap’s application to use his MRP allocation is still subject to approval by the Sarawak Premier’s office which is important for public accountability. — DayakDaily
