KUCHING: Sarawak Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Chong Chieng Jen’s use of the term “fiscal responsibility” should be condemned as a sad attempt to rationalise the PH government’s failures in carrying out its election promises to Sarawak, said Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.
“Chong said PH proposed to return the 20 per cent oil and gas royalty and 50 per cent of all tax revenues to Sarawak on condition that the state government must first assume autonomy in our education and health sectors.
“This sorry explanation is only to distract the people from PH’s responsibilities to fulfill its mandate granted by voters in the last election,” he said in a statement yesterday.
He said Chong’s statement revealed the PH’s disingenuous and underhanded way to trick voters into supporting them.
“In fact, this sort of behaviour is unbecoming. They have clearly and deliberately failed to disclose the conditions of returning the tax collections in their 2018 election promises.
“As a result, voter expectations have been unethically skewed by these kinds of promises that they did not know would not be fulfilled. The PH’s supporters have been left out in the cold through the use of this deceptive way of garnering votes,” he said.
Tiong pointed out PH’s refusal to honour their election promises to Sarawak was clear evidence that they had promised too much and bitten off more than they could chew.
“Not only are their exaggerations impossible to honour, they have dastardly shifted the blame to the Sarawak government.
“I am sure Chong remembers his publicity drives for their seven major points in the Sarawak PH election manifesto to voters with the message of “New Deal, New Hope”. The third point in those seven points was clearly to return 20% oil and gas royalty and 50% of all tax revenues to Sarawak. He must clarify to the voters what has happened to this manifesto,” he said.
Tiong, who is also the Progressive Democratic Action (PDP) president said instead Chong’s main job now for his political masters was to distort the facts into a lie that the Sarawak state government was not cooperative.
He said Chong should be doubly ashamed of his betrayal of Sarawakians.
“After Sarawakian voters gave him their trust, he abandoned them and colluded with outsiders to betray them. As a federal minister, is there no limit to what he would sacrifice for more prestige and status?
“Chong used to have a robust understanding of the government, even supporting the 20 per cent oil and gas royalty return to the state. But now, he is willing to sell out Sarawak,” said Tiong.
He added Sabah and Sarawak had long been the cornerstones of Malaysia’s economic development with their abundant natural resources.
He then asked whether it was too much for ministers to start prioritising development for these states after all their sacrifices and contributions?
“Sabahans and Sarawakians have no choice but to watch as the federal government continues to take them for granted and plunder their wealth.”
