By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Dec 19: The Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Central has called on Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak to address the issue of school security contracts in Parliament or through federal channels, instead of resorting to a blame game.
In a statement today, SUPP Central Publicity Secretariat slammed DAP Sarawak for failing to leverage its federal influence to resolve the matter while unfairly targeting Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).
It criticised DAP Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen for making “baseless accusations”, which they claimed were intended to smear the GPS government and divert responsibility from DAP parliamentarians.
“This is especially critical as DAP holds the largest number of seats in the federal government, with the Education Minister and Deputy Minister both coming from the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition,” it said.
The controversy stems from revelations that over 90 per cent of Sarawak school security contracts were awarded to companies from Peninsular Malaysia.
SUPP stressed that education remains under federal jurisdiction, with the Sarawak Education Department acting only as an implementing agency under the Federal Education Department.
“The real decision-making power and budget allocation lie with the federal government. Blaming the GPS government, which has not yet obtained education autonomy, is unfair and unjustifiable,” it said.
The party added that Chong, as an experienced Member of Parliament (MP) and former deputy minister, is fully aware of this jurisdictional responsibility but chose to unfairly pin the blame on GPS.
“This clearly demonstrates their intent to mislead the public,” it added.
SUPP emphasised that DAP could have addressed the issue in Parliament or through federal channels, instead of resorting to media criticism.
“DAP, with its 40 parliamentary seats—including five from Sarawak and a Deputy Education Minister—should feel ashamed of this unfair distribution of school security contracts in Sarawak.
“For instance, Sarawak DAP leaders could leverage their party’s parliamentary majority to push for mandatory policies that prioritise Sarawak companies in school tenders. Their failure to act exposes their ‘talk only, no action’ leadership style,” the statement said.
Furthermore, SUPP added that Chong’s remarks indirectly reinforced GPS’s long-standing call for education autonomy.
“By admitting that the Federal Ministry of Education has marginalised Sarawak, Chong has validated GPS’s stance on the need for autonomy. This would allow Sarawak to directly manage its education affairs, improve school facilities, and ensure local companies are prioritised for contracts,” it added.
SUPP also questioned DAP Sarawak’s commitment to defending Sarawakian interests, highlighting its silence on key issues.
“Why did DAP stay silent when GPS fought for Sarawak’s rightful share of oil and gas resources? Why didn’t they support GPS’ push for healthcare and education autonomy? Why did they fail to hold PH accountable for unfulfilled election promises?” it asked.
SUPP expressed confidence that once GPS secures education autonomy, issues like the unfair awarding of contracts to Peninsular companies can be resolved.
“Education autonomy would allow Sarawak to appoint its own Education Director-General, manage its resources, and ensure fairer opportunities for local businesses. This is the solution that Sarawak deserves,” the statement concluded. —DayakDaily
