MP Julau-cum-Deputy Minister of Information, Communication and Culture Joseph Salang has made it very clear to the State powers that be not to take away federal allocation for infrastructure development in Sarawak’s rural areas.
“The money must be rightly spent on such areas only. The implementing state agencies should follow the federal directives. There are reasons why the fund is specifically allocated to certain areas.
“The money should not be diverted else where,” he said when referring to RM4 billion federal allocation to upgrade infrastructure in the rural and interior regions of Sarawak and Sabah.
Salang’s warning is timely. Otherwise most of these monies will go to only SCORE areas, Mukah and Betong, thus other areas will be deprived of infrastructure development. It had happened in the past when allocation for the Simunjan/Punda Road was diverted to Kota Samarahan; allocation for a Pantu Secondary school was diverted to Betong. Many more had happened that you and I did not know.
Despite we are the richest State in the country with timber, oil and gas and land resources in plentiful, we are among the poorest in Malaysia. Why?
We know why Salang is so concerned about the federal fund being taken away, because at the moment the State government has no money. And we and Dayak leaders like Alfred Jabu, James Masing, and William Mawan should support Salang for daring to voice his concern rather than involved in the “sirat” issue.
A contractor friend of mine in Sarikei complained that the government owes him RM1 million, saying that the government has no money to pay him. Complaints of other contractors receiving no payment are also common.
Hotels will not receive service orders as a form of payment when civil servants go on travelling. Either cash or don’t stay in the hotels. That is the order from hotel managements.
According to my friend, the contractor, many will go bankrupt if the government does not pay for the completed projects: the contractor will go bankrupt, many of his workers who have houses and cars to pay will also go bankrupt and the hardware shoppers will also suffer.
So the question is: Why are we in this state of financial uncertainty and bankrupt? And where have the monies gone to? - The Broken Shield
Source: http://www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com/
“The money must be rightly spent on such areas only. The implementing state agencies should follow the federal directives. There are reasons why the fund is specifically allocated to certain areas.
“The money should not be diverted else where,” he said when referring to RM4 billion federal allocation to upgrade infrastructure in the rural and interior regions of Sarawak and Sabah.
Salang’s warning is timely. Otherwise most of these monies will go to only SCORE areas, Mukah and Betong, thus other areas will be deprived of infrastructure development. It had happened in the past when allocation for the Simunjan/Punda Road was diverted to Kota Samarahan; allocation for a Pantu Secondary school was diverted to Betong. Many more had happened that you and I did not know.
Despite we are the richest State in the country with timber, oil and gas and land resources in plentiful, we are among the poorest in Malaysia. Why?
We know why Salang is so concerned about the federal fund being taken away, because at the moment the State government has no money. And we and Dayak leaders like Alfred Jabu, James Masing, and William Mawan should support Salang for daring to voice his concern rather than involved in the “sirat” issue.
A contractor friend of mine in Sarikei complained that the government owes him RM1 million, saying that the government has no money to pay him. Complaints of other contractors receiving no payment are also common.
Hotels will not receive service orders as a form of payment when civil servants go on travelling. Either cash or don’t stay in the hotels. That is the order from hotel managements.
According to my friend, the contractor, many will go bankrupt if the government does not pay for the completed projects: the contractor will go bankrupt, many of his workers who have houses and cars to pay will also go bankrupt and the hardware shoppers will also suffer.
So the question is: Why are we in this state of financial uncertainty and bankrupt? And where have the monies gone to? - The Broken Shield
Source: http://www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com/
9 comments:
If your share is snatched and walk away empty-handed, how do you feel? Datuk Salang must be right when he said that the new RM4 billion federal allocation to upgrade infrastructure development in Sarawak and Sabah are meant for specified areas according to a list issued by the federal directives. In my opinion, any attempt by a selfish minister to divert of the federal allocation elsewhere is amounting to abuse of power, especially when the minister concerned would has some pecuniary interest in the sense that he was going to benefit from the diversion.
The budget allocation is formulated based on the proposed development planning reports submitted by the relevant agencies to the federal government, which normally contain the proposed lists of projects to be implemented and their roughly expenditures and costs.
James Masing who has been begging the new RM4 billion federal allocation to be included for the construction of trunk road to Kapit , has to check whether there is allocation in the list for such project.Likewise, Wong Judat has to do the same. He had complained in the state Legislative Assembly sitting recently that so many projects in his constituency have been proposed since the Seventh Malaysia Plan have not been implemented.
For other YBs perhaps the new federal allocation could have included for infrastructure development in your areas and ensure that they are not snatched by your selfish boss to degrade you.
ya, there were instance like the allocation of rm50 million for the building and reallocation of the sarawak boat club but this allocation was 'stolen' and used to built the marina in miri. we all know who the culprits is. as a result the sarawak boat club is left in a sorry state.go and see for yourself the how sarawak boat club is left to rot.it's a shame, a terrible shame!
Personally what Joseph Salang is saying is the real truth. This is to directly tell these fund diverters to toe the line. If this allocation is diverted again, it's high time that we must bring this issue to the federal level.A special committee must be set up by the federal gov't to monitor these fund and to make sure that the state gov't don't abuse the federal fund.
I don't have to reveal how much of the federal funds have been diverted and what Joseph Salang have sound this warning is just the tip of the iceberg. i think he have done a splendid job of giving the state gov't this timely warning.He must be losing his patience longtime ago and today he lose his cool.Hats off for his stand that funds like this for the rural must not be abused.
In sarawak everyone knows too well that whatever the projects, be it big or small, goes to that white hair companies and his cronies. So basically all the federal fund are dispense at his disposal.No one dare to question this abuse and that is why he always bark that same old tune of that 'politics of development'.The man on the street call it 'politics of self enriching'.
In GOD we trust.
Neil Armstrong
Sarawak has lots of money BUT was misused and spent to benefit only a few. e.g the construction of the new DUN building. You think it is necassary and priority? The tender price was certainly higher than the cost and robbers make money doing nothing .
Another wasteful projects are the many airport extensions and expansions. Are airports extension and expansion really necassary or priorities ahead of other poverty eradication projects? Certainly not BUT these so called nogotiated projects give more returns and profits to the robbers.Good roads should be priority ahead of all these airport upgrading but the power and decision come from one man and these decisions are all right in the eyes of Dayak YBS and ministers.
YB Datuk Joe Salang!
My salute to your openness in voicing out your concern about development funds distribution!
I wish more Dayak Leaders would do what you have done! There’s nothing to fear if you are telling the truth! How many major rural projects had been diverted, only Taib knows!
Now, all the Dayak’s Leaders must be united in their voice only then Taib listen! Do not be selfish, have no fear!
Taib is only person, he is not God! If all of the 70 State assemblypersons don’t support him, he is a gone case!
Dayak’s Leaders must not fight with each other! Fighting over nothing beneficial for your community! That is the “Cawat” Mentality!
At least he have the courage to say that. Bravo for him.
Another big issue he should look at now is our land in Julau and Sime Darby
Our other dayak YBS are keeping their head down over this diverted federal allocation on infrastructure for Sarawak.
Why? Because they are too chicken to say the real thing. All that they could or would do, is say the opposite. When it comes for them to bring development to their constituency, it is usually a very minor or left-over project, which they claimed that it was a federal project.
Come on dayak YBs from Snap, SPDP, PBB & PRS, be realistic and transparent. Don't hide under your mum's sarong. People are watching you. New well educated generation of voters are watching. Time change and people change,too.
only now rise the matter? please la dont only talk in the press.....action please
When funds like this are diverted to other places then the rural people will never have a chance to see their places developed.Also they are always been told to wait and lies after lies are been fed to these innocent rural folks.Only the leftovers are sprinkle infront of their eyes to attract their votes comes election time.
Since Joseph Salang is the first to sound this alarm, i think it's high time he should bring this up to the federal level.There must be some sort of mechanism to monitor federal funds so that it goes to where the fund needs to go.
He who broke this story must have known long ago that federal funds are diverted to other projects that belongs to that white hair and his cronies.I hope the state gov't heed this warning and they must put in more effort to help this rural folks to see that they too are not denied of the development.
After 45 years of joining malaya, sarawak is still a backward state even though it has rich resources.politicians when confronted always say that sarawak is too big to have every towns and kampongs developed.We don't ask that all these places be developed to look like singapore but at the very least they should have clean water, good roads and access to health care.
Is that so difficult to ask! While ikan masing , mawan and jabu have 8 inches mattress to sleep on at night,it's wrong for those rural folks to have a mat to sleep on! Wake up dayak leaders! It's time to see for yourself how your community are left behind to rot.
mother theresa
nice! i read whole of it.
YB, welcome to worldmessenger.ning.com
:) have great day
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