KUCHING, Aug 6 ― Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu Sarawak (PBB) vice-president Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah has criticised the offers made by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sarawak for the 12th State Election (PRN12), asserting that they were made solely to garner the sympathy of local folks.

Abdul Karim, who is Asajaya assemblyman, slammed the 10 offers that were announced recently by PKR Sarawak Information Chief Abun Sui Anyit because most of what the latter had mentioned had already been implemented by the State Government.

He said the offers were mere promises and he believed  the local folks were accustomed and familiar with the claims the opposition would make especially when the state election was coming soon.

"They (PKR Sarawak) seem to be running out of ideas on how to get the support from local folks and it is amusing for their candidates to offer things that have already been implemented by the state government for a very long time,” he added.

Karim, who is also Minister of Youth and Sports and Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, stressed the state government was now fulfilling its promises to local folks whose lives are affected by the  Covid-19 pandemic that had badly affected many countries including in Malaysia.

He said what the local communities needed now was to familiarise themselves with new norms based on standard operating procedures or SOPs that have been set to ensure the safety of the public.

"They (PKR Sarawak) have made so many offers that we (the state government) have already fulfilled and implemented in the past and even  right now as relief assistances that have been promised to our people are being delivered when our country is affected by the spread of Covid19 since March,” he said.

Karim said he was confident that the people of Sarawak would not be easily deceived by the offers made by PKR Sarawak which were redundant and announced in a hasty manner.

"They (PKR Sarawak) may have forgotten that many of the promises made during the last general election have not been fulfilled and some even failed to be implemented even when they were in power the past two years,” he said.

"I am sure the people of Sarawak will not be easily deceived because what is important now is the continuity of life in the new norm so that the future of the community will be more secure.”

On Tuesday, PKR Sarawak made 10 pledges to Sarawakian voters for the next state election.

The pledges include defending the Native Customary Right (NCR) land, clean water supply, electricity supply, transportation and housing, build safe roads, and quality education and employment opportunities for youth apart from pledges to generate the economy and income from oil and gas for rural development, healthcare for all including repairs to rural hospitals and clinics, and digital continuity including e-gov, e-health, e-education and e-economy.

Other pledges listed include anti-corruption and administrative reform, sustainable forestry and agriculture policies, and to solve the identity card (IC) problems and to protect the children and women. ― Borneo Post