KUCHING, Oct 28: Development should not be politicised, says PKR Selangau chief Joshua Jabeng as he urged the government to keep its promises and seriously implement all development for the betterment of the people, not just giving out “candy” to blur the eyes of voters every election.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Selangau chief Joshua Jabeng pointed out that it is unacceptable for Sarawak to be ranked as poor when it is the richest State in Malaysia with abundant natural resources.
“It cannot be denied that Sarawak is still far behind even in basic infrastructure. The construction of the Pan Borneo Highway was only given due attention after PH (Pakatan Harapan) heard the grouses of the people.
“The rural population has to rely on logging roads and wooden bridges, even using 4WD vehicles,” he said in a statement today.
Other issues included health clinics unequipped to address emergencies, rural communities still relying on diesel generators for electricity, lack of treated water supply, as well as citizens without proper documents that has led to difficulties in obtaining services including healthcare and education for children.
In this borderless information era, Joshua emphasised that people are now more aware and know what they want which is increased income, economic prosperity and proper welfare regardless of race and on par with that in Peninsular Malaysia.
“It is only common sense to question why all the resources and wealth of Sarawak have fallen into personal property of a handful of political elites and crony companies. Some are listed in the Pandora Papers.
“The people of Sarawak have been urged to reject the opposition for they are known to be Peninsula-based parties. But who has administered Sarawak all this time? Is it not the local parties who have impoverished the people since Independence?” he questioned.
Yhe PKR State Leadership Council secretary said that since Barisan Nasional-Gabungan Parti Sarawak (BN-GPS) has failed to administer and manage all the resources and wealth of Sarawak for the past 50 years, how they can guarantee and prove that they will succeed in the next five years.
“As the saying goes, ‘more spoons than gravy’, the current government will again be busy giving promises every time before the election.
“Development is the responsibility of the government so don’t just perform the opening ceremony of projects. We need to know where the promises and where are the millions of ringgit that the Chief Minister has allocated to all the elected representatives.
“Balanced development will bring prosperity to all urban and rural people. No one should be poor in this rich State because the resources and revenue of Sarawak is more than enough to prosper every 2.9 million Sarawakian if managed transparently without corruption and leakage,” he added. — DayakDaily
