SPA demands federal govt to fix dilapidated schools in Sarawak

Datuk John Lau Pang Heng

KUCHING, Aug 26: Sarawak Patriots Association (SPA) expresses deep concern that the federal government has yet to commence repair of the dilapidated schools in Sarawak.

SPA chairman Datuk John Lau Pang Heng said Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng in July had asked the state government to pay RM350 million of its RM1 billion loan with Putrajaya which the State government complied and paid the sum.

However, until now there has been no words from the federal government on the commencement of the repair works, which raised concerns of SPA.

He reminded that Pakatan Harapan (PH) GE14 election manifesto Promise Number 44 is ‘Improving the quality of education and healthcare services’.

He thus questioned the federal government – “How quality of education can be better as over 400 schools in Sarawak are still dilapidated?”

“Can we Malaysians trust a government who do not keep their promises? Do we trust a government who kept changing their decisions? SPA is very doubtful of the trust when one fails to keep promises,” Lau said in a statement today.

He was referring to what Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said in Lundu yesterday, that the Sarawak government had remitted RM350 million of its RM1 billion debt to the federal government as demanded by the Ministry of Finance.

Echoing Abang Johari’s request to expedite the repair of the dilapidated schools in Sarawak, SPA urged the Federal Government to keep their promises.

“Citizens are getting tired of keep telling the authorities that they do not keep their promises, or the authorities keep making U-turns,” Lau said.

He reminded Putrajaya again that repair works of run-down schools is of utmost urgency to the teachers and students of these run-down schools. — DayakDaily