KUCHING, Oct 24 — Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB) is insisting that the so-called “advance payment” of Sarawak’s loans with Putrajaya must be used to fix dilapidated schools in the state, Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg said today.
The president of the lynchpin of the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) said the state government has already paid RM350 million this year, with another RM650 million to be paid next year.
“The federal Budget 2020 tabled by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng in Parliament early this month has not properly addressed the issue of dilapidated schools, which means we have to have a framework to implement the repair work in detail,” he told reporters after chairing the PBB supreme council meeting at the party headquarters in Jalan Bako, near here.
He said the PBB supreme council wants to see how the funds from Sarawak can be used to fix the dilapidated schools.
Abang Johari, who is also the chief minister, said this is very important to rural communities as most of these schools are in the rural areas.
He also said that PBB wants the cooperation between the state and federal governments to be strengthened through the state-federal joint action committee, co-chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas and federal Works Minister Baru Bian.
He said any federal initiatives for Sarawak must be discussed by this joint committee first, citing as an example the proposal by the federal government to expand the Village Community Management Council (MPKK) from the peninsula to the state.
“You cannot decide on your own. That is why we have this joint committee so that there is no overlap in the roles of the village development and security committee,” he said, adding that it will be a waste of resources if this were to occur.
He said the decision to expand MPKK to Sarawak goes against the decision of Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to set up the joint committee.
“This joint committee must be inclusive, covering social, economic and other issues that concern Sarawak,” he said.
On electoral reform, the chief minister said there are some issues that PBB agrees on and there are others which need to be deliberated further by the electoral reform committee so they will not conflict with state laws.
“Whatever the reforms are, they need to be discussed by the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly further. But, of course, we are also pro-reform, for example, on the question of 18-year-olds being election candidates and voters.
“But there are other matters which have to be discussed further so as to follow state laws,” he said.
