By Adrian Lim
KUCHING, May 11: Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) president Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh has challenged Second Finance Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas to repeat outside what the latter has said in the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) today.
Wong said Uggah’s opening remarks at DUN sitting describing the former as “out of touch” of the state finance was very unprofessional.
“If Uggah insists so, I request that Uggah repeats his statement outside the DUN that I have lied or misled the public,” Wong said in a statement today.
Wong has claimed that there was no contingency fund provided in the Sarawak government 2020 Budget that can be used for the aid packages of more than RM2 billion.
“I say that there is no Contingency Fund approved by the DUN in the 2020 Budget that can be used for the aid package of more than RM2 billion. If there is any such Contingency Fund, I challenge Uggah to point it out to the public.
“For Uggah’s benefit, in the 2019 Budget, there is a Contingency Fund of RM250 million. But that is not for 2020 and that is only (for) RM250 million which is far short of the RM2 billion plus needed for the aid packages,” said Wong.
Wong who is Bawang Assan assemblyman believed that the 2019 and 2020 budgets were in massive deficits.
“I also repeat what I said before – that the 2019 and 2020 Budgets are in massive deficit due to the huge shortfall of sales tax expected to be received from Petronas.
“Do not mislead our Sarawak people that everything is fine where the State finance is concerned. The government is spending well beyond our means and the government must be transparent with the Rakyat.”— DayakDaily
