KUCHING: State Reform Party Sarawak (STAR) president Lina Soo has urged Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng to issue an apology to the people of Sarawak for misleading Malaysians that Sarawak owed arrears to the federal government.
Soo said that the Sarawak government did not obtain loans from international financial institutions such as IMF, World Bank or Japan Softbank to fund its development as the international borrowing was done through the Federal Ministry of Finance.
“Since the 1980s, MoF has been getting loans from Japan at very low rates of interest such as at 1.5 percent, and then releases the funds to the Sarawak government at a higher interest rate such as 4 to 5 percent.
“These financial packages come in different sizes at different interest rates and for varied projects, and at no time has Sarawak been known to default in its payments,” she said in a statement yesterday. Soo added: “Hurling baseless accusations in public against the Sarawak government when the state has a track record of meeting its financial commitments is uncalled for, especially from one who has the stature of a Finance Minister.
“It clearly confirms Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir’s comments that most Pakatan Harapan cabinet ministers are not up to their mark and improvements in their performance are sorely needed.
“Pull up your socks and get seriously down to work to manage the economy for greater productivity and to create more jobs, as this is what you are elected for,” she told Lim.
