KUCHING: The Office of the Premier of Sarawak (OPS) has clarified that the proposed tallest flagpole project in the city is not funded by the Sarawak government but by the private sector.
It said the project is a corporate social responsibility (CSR) contribution in conjunction with the 60th anniversary of Sarawak as a party to the formation of Malaysia.
“The project shall include the development of the designated site as well as its vicinity and has no relation to the issue of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63),” it said in a statement yesterday (Jan 28).
The installation of the flagpole, said the OPS, would become part of the tourism infrastructure in Kuching as well as a way to show loyalty to Sarawak.
“Hopefully, it will become an inspiration for all Sarawakians to serve Sarawak,” it added.
OPS was referring to a news report by a local daily that stated the Sarawak government is planning to erect the country’s highest flagpole to fly the Sarawak flag in Petra Jaya.
According to the news report, the project is expected to cost about RM30 million.
“The flagpole will be erected near the Tea House or Fort Margherita here (in the vicinity of the State Legislative Assembly Complex),” the source was quoted as saying in the news report.
Meanwhile, Bandar Kuching Member of Parliament Dr Kelvin Yii said in a statement today (Jan 29) that the Sarawak government must be transparent about the parties involved in the plans to erect the flagpole.
“The statement by OPS to now claim that it is a project funded by the private sector as a CSR contribution opens up more questions than answers, and they cannot just push the matter to CSR and wash their hands off the matter.
“It is thus imperative that the government be transparent and continue to be held accountable on this matter to ensure it is not merely an afterthought due to the backlash, and more importantly, to ensure that really no public funds are being used for this project nor are there any conflicts of interest in the matter,” he said.
Dr Yii went on to say that the matter also opens up the question of who initiated the idea of such a project.
“Knowing the real needs of Sarawakians, the government could have easily advised the ‘generous’ company to better use such funds to invest in public infrastructure, or even in our health or education, or to feed our poor in the community,” he pointed out.
He added that it is also important to have a clear breakdown of the cost of the project, which is reportedly 99 metres long and could cost up to RM30 million.
“In comparison, the tallest flagpole in the world, which is located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and stands at 171 metres, actually cost less and was built at a cost of Saudi Arabian Riyals (SAR) 18.7 million (RM21 million),” said Dr Yii.
