By Adrian Lim
KUCHING, Nov 10: Political secretary to the Chief Minister Tan Kai rebutted the statement made by Kota Sentosa assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen on the Local Authorities Amendment Bill (2020) or LAAB 2020 tabled by Minister for Local Government and Housing Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) yesterday.
He believed Chong, who is also Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak chairman, did not fully understand the amendment of the bill which was to provide better facilities to the people especially those in the rural communities.
Tan pointed out that the objective of the Local Authorities Amendment Bill (2020) was to empower local authorities to be endowed with the native status so that local authorities could acquire native land to develop “pasar tamu”, libraries and other facilities for the rural communities.
“Well, in the past, Kuching Municipal Council (now known as MBKS) built KMC flats for the low-income group and this consisted of the residential, road and Song Kheng Hai hawker stalls and so on.
“This shows that local authorities have empowered the development of land all the while.
“The statement by Chong implied that DAP is not willing for KMC flats to be improved by the council but prefers to leave it to the private sectors.
“It also shows that DAP does not want councils to build more markets for the convenience of people but leave it to the private sector,” he said in a statement today.
Yesterday, after the tabling of the amendment of the Local Authorities Amendment Bill (2020), Chong issued a statement saying the amendment of the bill would give local authorities more power or status to develop native land in Sarawak.
Chong believed that local authorities in the state should not be developing projects for commercial, residential, or industrial properties.
He pointed out that it is not the business of local authorities to enter into development projects as the development of land should be left to the private sector. — DayakDaily
