KUCHING, June 22: Minister of Finance Lim Guan Eng’s statement about Sarawak going bankrupt in three years time is completely irresponsible, said Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Central Women chief Kho Teck Wan.
In fact, Kho believed there was no need for Sarawak to tap into its reserve.
Based on the State Budget 2019, the total estimated revenue is RM10.513 billion, and the total proposed Ordinary Expenditure is RM10.391 billion. Hence, the 2019 budget is expected to generate a surplus of RM122 million.
“Sarawak has the highest reserve in Malaysia. The healthy reserve of over RM30 billion was built over 50 years without the interference of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), Pakatan Harapan (PH) or Lim.
“Now Lim has stepped in and tell Sarawakians that our reserve will be gone in three years and that Sarawak will go bankrupt,” she said in a press statement today.
Kho said Lim had conveniently dropped Sarawak’s income and based his statement purely on expenditure.
“Based on his calculation, Penang will be bankrupt within a year. Therefore, the statement by the Finance Minister proves that he thinks Sarawakians are stupid,” she added.
According to Bloomberg, Malaysia’s stock market is Asia’s only loser in 2019.
Kho also opined that as finance minister, Lim should focus on efforts to boost investor confidence instead of spreading false information about Sarawak’s fiscal position.
Last night, Lim said Sarawak would be bankrupt in three years if Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) were to maintain Sarawak’s annual budget at RM11 billion. — DayakDaily
