KUCHING, April 17: Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) president Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian is misleading the people in hiding their failures as part of the ruling government to bring equal development to Sarawak, charged Democratic Action Party (DAP) candidate for Stampin Dr Kelvin Yii.
Referring to Dr Sim’s recent statement that Sarawak BN can ‘make things happen’ while the state opposition coalition will only ‘wait and see’, Yii said Dr Sim had shown that the latter did not understand the roles of the government and the opposition.
“If Sarawak BN (Barisan Nasional) which SUPP is part of really was able to make things happen, Sarawak would have been one of the most developed states in Malaysia with the riches of resources that we possess.
“However, not only are our people one of the poorest in the nation, but our state is severely lacking behind in development, even in basic necessities such as clean flowing water and electricity to every home, especially in the rural areas,” Yii said in a press statement today.
Among the examples Yii cited are dilapidated schools in the state (70 per cent of the 1,454 schools), clinics without doctors and without water and power supply (45 per cent of the 209 clinics without doctors), and the many rural areas without clean water supply and no basic roads.
Yii, who is also special assistant to state DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen, said that BN Sarawak has been in power for over 55 years and has full control of and access to the state’s coffers and resources, as well as had the responsibility to bring equal development to the whole state, even if it is a constituency represented by the opposition.
Yii expressed his disappointment that BN Sarawak had undemocratically deprived such constituencies of not just the minor rural project (MRP) funds, but also the special rural transformation project (RTP) funds worth RM5 million to each state constituency, as they are only allocated to BN state assemblymen, and not the opposition.
“Dr Sim’s accusation are not just unfounded, but proves that the alleged inability of opposition to ‘bring development’ in these areas are purely the fault of the ruling government which is BN Sarawak.
“He is not only directly trying to mislead the people, but taking false credit for what they as a government is responsible to do in the first place,” said Yii.
Yii also pointed out that DAP representatives, unlike BN Sarawak representatives, had spoken up against many issues to highlight the interests of Sarawak such as the implementation of GST and Tourism Tax, and the Merchant Shipping Bill 2017. — DayakDaily
