KUCHING, June 4 — Opposition Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) today labelled the state cabinet and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) lawmakers’ salary cut contributions totalling about RM3 million to the State Disaster Fund as only a political stunt.
Its president Datuk Sri Wong Soon Koh said the RM3 million is just a drop in the ocean and will not do much to help the people in the time of a Covid-19 pandemic crisis.
“The government intervention should be the cornerstone of Covid-19 responses as people will look to the government to utilise its resources to help the people and with economic recovery,” he said in a statement.
Wong, who is Bawang Assan assemblyman, said a government must determine what resources to be directed to what areas during this health crisis to save lives and livelihood.
He said it is equally pertinent for the government to come up with measures to help businesses stay afloat and that the economy will bounce back after the pandemic is over.
“The state government should play a more responsible and overall role to help the people and not a small salary cut for lawmakers and ministers which can do little to overcome the sufferings of the people” the former second finance minister stressed.
Wong said PSB, if given a chance to rule Sarawak, will introduce and implement two measures to cope with this pandemic.
He said firstly PSB will review the mega projects costing billions of ringgit such as the hydrogen bus, autonomous rail transit (ART) and second trunk road which are non-productive and will not bring about immediate benefits to the people during this pandemic.
He said that a PSB government would immediately put on hold such projects and use those funds for the people, to save the small and medium enterprises from collapse and protect the employment and livelihood of our fellow Sarawakians.
“To me, this is the time for the government to review these projects which, in our view, are a waste of state funds better used for the welfare of our people now.
“The money should be channelled to save lives and businesses during this crisis,” he said, adding that if the savings from the mega projects are not sufficient, a PSB government would figure out how much of the state’s reserve fund could be utilised to help Sarawakians during these trying times.
According to him, the reserve fund is meant for Sarawak and Sarawakians during rainy days and Covid-19 is not just rain but a massive storm.
As such, he said this health crisis should call for the need to dig into the state’s reserve fund so that Sarawakians can survive the storm.
In its announcement earlier, the CMO said Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg, his state Cabinet ministers and House Speaker will contribute two months of their salaries to the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee Fund (SDMCF), to be deducted over a certain period of months.
The assistant ministers, political secretaries, Gaungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) state assemblymen and senior state civil servants will also be contributing to the fund.
The chief minister will have his salary cut by 30 per cent, his three deputies by 25 per cent and ministers and House Speaker by 20 per cent.
The statement said the salaries of assistant ministers will be cut by 15 per cent, salaries of state assemblymen by 10 per cent and political secretaries by five per cent.
The upper grades of the state civil servants will also have their salaries deducted in July and August, with the salaries of Gred Utama A/Gred Khas A and above of senior state civil servants to be cut by 50 per cent, while the salaries of Gred Utama B/Gred Khas B and above by 20 per cent and Gred Utama C/Gred Khas C and above by 10 per cent.
