KUCHING: It is very much-awaited and welcomed news that the federal government has in principle agreed to return autonomy in education and health to Sarawak.
Public Health and Housing Deputy Minister Datuk Dr Penguang Manggil noted that during the early days of Malaysia’s formation, education and health were subject to state autonomy.
This autonomy, he said, like so many others, had been gradually eroded.
As it is now, he added, the public health delivery system in Sarawak has plenty of room for improvement, particularly the “hardware” components.
He pointed out that rural clinics were built in places where they were not supposed to be, especially in terms of needs, locality, and logistics.
He also noted that many hospitals, especially district hospitals, are in dilapidated states and lack the comforts of air conditioning or updated medical equipment.
“It has always been my view that these two very important disciplines should always be under our purview.
“Simply because Sarawak is in the best position to know our own needs and the issues that go along with the siting and location of where such facilities as schools, clinics, and hospitals should be built to facilitate access to the public and local communities,” he told the New Sarawak Tribune.
Having said that, he noted that it is evinced by the fact that there are a lot of schools in the rural area with very low enrolment, or what is termed “sekolah kurang murid” (SKM), and clinics with less than 10 visits per day.
This, he said, is indeed a waste of resources and does not augur well for the development of education and health services in Sarawak.
The delegation of these two sectors — education and public health — said Penguang, especially the “hardware” components, are indeed long overdue and should be pursued without much hesitation.
“Having said these, I wish to remind that it is incumbent upon the federal government (based on the Federal Constitution and Malaysia Agreement 1963) to provide the necessary resources, especially funding and manpower, for sure initiatives to move forward.
“Only we Sarawakians know our predicament and what we need,” he pointed out.
