KUCHING, July 25: Sarawak Pakatan Harapan (PH) has raised the question if the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) State Government is having cash flow problem that it could not make the prompt repayment of RM350 million debt to the Federal Government to facilitate the allocation for the repair of dilapidated schools in Sarawak.
“If GPS is finding it difficult to come up with the money, then there is truth in what (Finance Minister) Lim Guan Eng has said a month ago about the possibility of Sarawak becoming bankrupt it GPS Government continues with the way it spends the State’s money,” Sarawak PH chairman Chong Chieng Jen said in a press statement today.
He urged GPS government to expedite the repayment of the said RM350 million debt so that Sarawak’s rural schools could benefit from the allocation without any undue delay.
He said after all the publicity by the GPS Government that it would come up with the RM1 billion repayment first for the repair of dilapidated schools in Sarawak, the State Government now is only talking about repaying RM350 million instead of the RM1 billion initially agreed.
“Even for this RM350 million, the money is not forthcoming.”
“For a State Government who claims to have RM31 billion reserves, one would expect that there is no problem to come up with RM350 million at any time.
“Yet, it seems that the Sarawak Government is now delaying the repayment of the RM350 million debt. Why is the GPS State Government delaying the repayment? Is the GPS State Government having cash flow or liquidity problem to come up with this RM350 million?” asked Chong who is Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Deputy Minister.
He said it was the gross negligence and failure of duty of 56 years on the part of the GPS (previously Sarawak BN) that Sarawak today has more than 1000 dilapidated schools.
“It is impossible for the PH Government to resolve this problem in such a short time, especially given the trillion-Ringgit debt that the PH Government inherited from the BN Government which the GPS was part thereof,” he said. — DayakDaily
