DAP trying to evade election promises, says PBB man
Karim Hamzah says Sarawak PH chairman Chong Chieng Jen is trying to put the blame on GPS for his inability to meet his promises.
KUCHING: Sarawak Pakatan Harapan’s chairman, Chong Chieng Jen, was reminded today about his “unconditional” offer of 50% tax revenues and 20% oil royalties to be paid to the state if PH won power.
PBB vice-president Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said Chong had made the offer in a speech at the state assembly in 2017.
He said if PH took control of the federal government, 50% of taxes collected from Sarawak would be returned, and 20% royalty paid on oil and gas production.
“He even went to the extent of saying that since his offer then was not ‘accepted’ by the state government, they cannot turn back and ask for these goodies,” he said.
However, last Friday Chong said the tax revenue and oil royalties were meant to be channelled to the state for education and healthcare but had been rejected by the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak coalition.
“They want the money to be used for whatever purposes they wish and not just for healthcare and education. This is not acceptable, especially given the Sarawak government’s track record of spending as much as they desire,” he said.
However Karim said Chong was now giving all sorts of excuses to “escape” from the election promise, now that PH was in power.
Chong even tried to put the blame on GPS for his inability to meet all his promises, said Karim.
“He must be thinking that the state leaders and the people were foolish enough to be pushed around.”
“Who was he when he made the promises? Did he get the mandate from PH to make the offer? PH had not become the federal government yet at that time, so what was his locus standi or authority to make such promises?” Karim said.
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Nonetheless, he said Sarawakians wanted to see that the promises Chong made were fulfilled lest the people would portray him as a liar and unfit to sit at his current position.