KUCHING, May 4 -- Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen today said his party did not claim it would abolish the goods and services tax (GST) if it won the state elections, as claimed by Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem.
He asserted that DAP has only been stressing on the importance of the Sarawak election as an impetus for the next general elections due in 2018, saying that if more opposition candidates became MPs, they could debate GST in Parliament.
“We never said we would abolish GST if we win the state election. What we are saying is that the result of this election will affect the result of the upcoming general election,” Chong told reporters here at Sarawak DAP headquarters.
“It is only through winning the general elections that we can abolish GST or reduce it to 0 per cent.”
“I call upon Adenan not to twist our words and put words that we have not said in our mouth,” he added.
DAP secretary-general and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng made a similar rebuttal earlier today after Adenan reportedly challenged Lim and PKR to abolish GST in Penang and Selangor.
Calls for the abolishment of GST has been among the major battle cries of the Pakatan Harapan campaigns for the 11th Sarawak state elections.
Nominations took place on April 25, while polling is set for Saturday.
