Sarawak DAP expresses shocks

(This story was first published by Free Malaysia Today and it is reproduced here for the readers of The Broken Shield)

KUCHING: Sarawak Democratic Action Party has expressed shocks that Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud does not know what the Chinese community wants even after 30 years he has been at the helm of the state government.

“Many, including myself, shocked when we read from the papers last week that the chief minister indicated that he does not know what the Chinese community wants.

“After 30 years as chief minister of Sarawak, it is just simply absurd that Taib does not know what the Chinese community in Sarawak wants.

“What has the chief minister been doing in the past 30 years?

“Rather, what have the chief minister’s counterparts in Sarawak United People who claim to represent the Chinese community on the government been doing in the past 30 years?” asked Chong Chieng Jen, DAP secretary in a letter to the Chief Minister.

Copies of the letter were distributed to the Press today. A copy was sent to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

He said that a statement like this coming from the chef minister in power for 30 years simply meant that Taib “has failed as a chief minister for all Sarawakians.”

“Let me, as a member of the Opposition and also as a Sarawakian, inform the chief minister what the Chinese community in Sarawak wants. Many of the things what they want as listed herein below are also what a common Sarawakian, a non-Chinese, wants of a state government,” he said.

The list includes the following:

• Amendment to the Sarawak Land Code to provide for (a) automatic free renewal of land leases for another 99 years upon expiry of the terms of leases, and (b) all section 47 notification shall lapse and cease to be of any effect on the expiry of two years after the date of its publication in the gazette if the government does not acquire the subject land within the said two-year period.
• A fair and transparent land policy whereby the alienation of state land for commercial purpose ought to be done through open tender system. This is the stark contrast with what has been practised nowadays whereby the chief minister’s family members’ companies have been alienated with large parcels of state land at very low prices, for example:

(i) Lots 9192, 9193 &9194 all of Block 11MTLD, a total of 269 acres of land in BDC, Kuching alienated to Monarda S/B (YAB’s son’s company) at RM291,000 per acre when the prevailing market prices of such land is easily RM1.5 million –RM2 million per acre;

(ii) 33 acres of land at Jalan Batu Lintang, Kuching alienated to Naim Cendera (YAB’s cousin’s company) at RM909,000 per acre when the prevailing market price of such land is easily RM2 million – RM2.5 million per acre;

(iii) Lot 1208 Puyut Land District (10,000ha) alienated to Polar Red S/B (YAB’s son’s company), a dormant company;

(iv) Lot 1210 Puyut Land District (5,000ha), alienated to Magna Wide S/B in 2008, (YAB’s brother’s company), a dormant company; and

(v) Lot 79 Block 5 Balingian Land District (6,358 ha), alienated to Worldsign Harvest S/B (YAB’s sister’s company) a dormant company.

All state government procurement contracts be awarded through open tender where all suppliers and contractors can tender and compete on equal footing. This is also in stark contrast with the practice nowadays whereby Taib’s family-related companies almost enjoy a monopoly control over state government contracts involving millions of ringgit Malaysia.

Annual allocation of funds from the state budgets for the development and maintenance of Chinese middle schools, Chinese primary schools and missionary schools.

Timber concession licences to be awarded for small areas (1000 – 2000 acres per licence) and through open tender system so that all those who are involved in sawmill or wood industry will have a chance to obtain the raw material (timber log) first-hand.

Cheaper electricity for domestic, commercial and industrial uses. This is especially so given that Bakun dam will be in operation soon and that hydro-electricity is cheap. Further more, it is most unfair to the local consumers, businessmen and industrialists that SESCO is selling electricity to Press Metal Berhad at such cheap price of approximately RM0.10 per KwH, while the local consumers, businessmen and industrialists have to pay approximately RM0.30 per KwH for electricity.

Local councils be given sufficient funds to provide proper maintenance of basic infrastructure eg. street lightings, drains and roads.

There shall not be any control or restriction on the production of cement in Sarawak and the importation of cement from West Malaysia to Sarawak.

Fairer treatment and better representation of the Chinese in the civil service. Of late, not only the Chinese are unfairly treated, but also the locals as well. The state government agencies, especially SESCO, is employing foreigners as sky-high remuneration rates on the one hand, but in comparison, the locals who are working at comparable posts are paid pittance, eg. the record-breaking US$1.2 million annual salary for the Norwegian CEO of SESCO. This is an insult to our local talents.

Cancel the imposition of 10% sales tax on four-D lottery tickets as there is no such taxation on the sale of 4-D lottery tickets in West Malaysia.

Chong, who is the MP for Bandar Kuching said: “I can confidently say that the above 10 items are what the Chinese in Sarawak wants which are within the state government’s power to implement immediately.

“Basically they call for equal and fair distribution and enjoyment of state’s wealth and resources. I believe that even the non-Chinese community will welcome the implementation of the above 10 items.

“There are matters like good governance, justice, security, medical welfare, flood mitigation projects and general education issues which are of the concerns of the Chinese community, but they are more federal matters,” he said.

Chong also called on Taib to make full and frank disclosure of the property that he and his family members has amassed within and outside Malaysia during his tenure as the chief minister of Sarawak.

Source:http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/politics/sabah-and-sarawak/9787-what-has-taib-been-doing-past-30-years