KUCHING: Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Deputy Youth chief Lukanisman Awang Sauni is imploring the people of Sarawak to not fall prey to the politics of Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Pakatan Harapan (PH).
The Sibuti incumbent MP pointed out that DAP and PH would bend over backwards to their political masters in Malaya, adding that they are concerned only for their own political survival rather than fighting for the interests of Sarawak.
Referring to a statement made by Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen who defended former Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng for demanding Sarawak to settle its RM1 billion debt to Putrajaya before allocating funds to repair dilapidated schools in the state, he said he was shocked and described it as an attempt at whitewashing.
“The statement made was to absolve Lim and the then PH federal government of their own shortcomings in assisting the children of Sarawak.
“The premise was simple when the state government decided to advance RM1 billion of its own funds to the federal government – it was to expedite repairs of dilapidated schools in the state as we were led to believe that Putrajaya was finance stricken.
“We still remember how we and the rest of Malaysia were given the impression by the PH government that the country was under mounting debts and there were no other ways for the schools to be repaired immediately,” he said in a statement on Yesterday (Oct 19).
As a gesture of goodwill on the part of the state government and in the spirit of cognizance, Lukanisman said the state government set aside a sum of its own funds for repairs of dilapidated schools even though the responsibilities in term of education rests with the federal government.
“Due to the delays in terms of allocation to repair the schools where the PH government failed to keep their word despite the payment of two tranches in the loan contra deal (RM700 million out of RM1 billion), the issue was then raised by the Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg,” he said.
Lukanisman urged Chong not to mislead the people of Sarawak on the issue as there are still vivid memories of exactly what happened with the deal.
“The ultimate victims of the bullying by the PH government and Lim were the rural children who had to suffer – they were told that their schools could not be repaired which ultimately put their safety and future as stake,” he added.
