{"id":23245,"date":"2018-11-07T16:10:12","date_gmt":"2018-11-07T08:10:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/?p=23245"},"modified":"2018-11-07T20:52:32","modified_gmt":"2018-11-07T12:52:32","slug":"state-assemblyman-for-batu-kitang-lo-khere-chiang-dun-speech-november-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/?p=23245","title":{"rendered":"State Assemblyman for Batu Kitang, Lo Khere Chiang DUN Speech November 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

Honourable Datuk Amar Speaker,<\/p>\n

Thank you for the honour and the opportunity to debate Yang Amat\u00a0Berhormat, the Chief Minister\u2019s address at this second meeting of the\u00a0second session of the 18th Sarawak State Legislative Assembly. I\u00a0support and congratulate Yang Amat\u00a0 Berhormat, the Chief Minister for\u00a0his articulate budget speech and his success in getting a double\u00a0digit-positive budget for the first time in Sarawak history where 75\u00a0percent of the budget will go into development. This is in contrast to\u00a0Semunanjung’s deficit budget. This positive budget does not eat into\u00a0the reserve of the State Reserve but from the skillful ways of the\u00a0Chief Minister by imposing 5 percent sales tax on our oil and gas. And\u00a0this is better than the 20 percent promised by Pakatan Harapan (PH)\u00a0which until now, we have yet to see any cent of it.<\/p>\n

Honourable member for Kota Sentosa\/MP for Stampin do not seems to\u00a0disagree with this 5% of the sales tax imposed by Sarawak Government,\u00a0Hourable member for Kota Sentosa must have got his mathematics wrong,\u00a0how can it not benefit the people of Sarawak when this 5% sales tax\u00a0amounting to almost 4 Billion a year, is shared among 3 million people\u00a0in Sarawak and not 30 Million people in Malaya.<\/p>\n

I am a Sarawakian and I am happy to know that we have extra 3 Billion\u00a0income in our state budget to develop our state\u2019s infrastructure.\u00a0Sarawak is on its way to gaining financial independence under the\u00a0capable leadership of the Chief Minister of Sarawak.\u00a0Petroleum Development Act PDA 1974, a device that although passed by\u00a0Parliament, however did not follow a substantive provision of the\u00a0Federal Constitution, and was therefore unconstitutional, null and\u00a0void and of no legal effect.<\/p>\n

Sarawak under the Chief Minister is fervently pursuing our wealth from\u00a0Oil and Gas to be return to Sarawak and all of us in this August House\u00a0must support our Chief Minister in this very important endeavour.<\/p>\n

The recent Rm271billion federal budget where Sarawak and Sabah have\u00a0only been allocated a miserable Rm4billion and Rm5 billion\u00a0respectively only goes to show how unimportant, Sarawak is,\u00a0 in the\u00a0eyes of the federal government. Where are the beautiful promises for\u00a0an equal status for Sarawak and Sabah with Malaya? Where are the\u00a0voices of objection and discontentment of our Pakatan Harapan members\u00a0of parliament? How can you all allow our new prime minister to get\u00a0away with this disgraceful act\u00a0 of bully and disregard for Sarawak and\u00a0Sabah. This is an insult to the intelligence of Sarawakians and\u00a0Sabahans.<\/p>\n

I wish to congratulate Honourable CM for his brainchild in\u00a0successfully mooting the motion to have a Consultative Committee,\u00a0comprising of members from all political parties represented by this\u00a0August house, to advance and safeguard the special interests, rights\u00a0and position of Sarawak as enshrined in MA63 and the Federal\u00a0Constitution and to meet the expectations of Sarawakians for greater\u00a0autonomy and devolution of powers to the State.<\/p>\n

Honourable Datuk Amar Speaker,<\/p>\n

I wish to remind our MPs not to forget the elephant in the room.\u00a0Petronas, the biggest cash cow in the country is immune from having to\u00a0table accounts in parliament. Honourable member for Kota Sentosa\/MP\u00a0for Stampin mention about integrity and transparency. Following PH’s\u00a0promises to be fair and\u00a0 transparent, i hope that Petronas will not be\u00a0immune from having to declare their accounts and answerable to\u00a0parliament. I wish to remind Honourable member for Kota Sentosa\/MP for\u00a0Stampin take Khazanah and PNB also holds hundreds of Billions of\u00a0dollars and do not have to report to parliement as well. Where is the\u00a0accountability, integrity and transparency?<\/p>\n

NEP Policy\/Brain Drain<\/p>\n

Honourable Datuk Amar Speaker,<\/p>\n

Our Prime Minister of six months, Tun Dr. Mahathir, visited China and\u00a0saw for himself how China has grown into an economic giant in a span\u00a0of just over 40 years after their \u2018Open Door Policy\u2019 was implemented.\u00a0He asked Malaysians there to return to help rebuild Malaysia, a\u00a0country which he said is at the brink of an economic disaster.<\/p>\n

Instead of spelling out how to improve this policy of attracting\u00a0overseas Malaysians back, he returned home only to pass more\u00a0discriminatory remarks on why it is important to continue giving\u00a0special rights. If our PM is genuine in wanting overseas Malaysians to\u00a0return to help Malaysia, he should not have insisted on continuing\u00a0with the NEP (New Economics Rights) policy. He should practice a fair\u00a0and just policy for all races and help all Malaysian citizens based on\u00a0needs and not race.<\/p>\n

PH had banked on the policy to win the election by stating fairness\u00a0and justice for all but after they won, many including PH members from\u00a0this August house kept quiet even when the PM’s policies were against\u00a0their beliefs.<\/p>\n

The NEP policy has been in place for decades and has failed. We can\u00a0see for ourselves how many poor Bumiputeras there are in Sarawak. How\u00a0is our PM going to achieve a developed status by 2020. The NEP was the\u00a0cause of unfair discriminations focusing on one race instead of\u00a0helping all the poor from all races. We are all together in this. If\u00a0any help is to be rendered, it should cut across the board regardless\u00a0of race. I am saddened to hear that the Prime Minister had reaffirmed\u00a0this policy yet again in a recent BBC interview.<\/p>\n

With unchanged policies, talented overseas Malaysians will not opt to\u00a0return. Such unfavorable policies have caused and is causing many to\u00a0migrate. So, I can safely say, that even though this is a brand new\u00a0government, we still have the same old policies.<\/p>\n

When a government reaches out to help its people, it should do so to\u00a0help those in need.\u00a0 We need the new government to provide good\u00a0hospitals and medical facilities, good schools and affordable\u00a0education and housing within the reach of every citizen. Job\u00a0opportunities should be given to capable and qualified people.\u00a0Competition shapes character. It will enable all to strive and work\u00a0harder. Only then will wealth in a nation multiply. The private\u00a0sectors are prime movers of the economy. The government of the day\u00a0facilitates and regulates. Is this so difficult for the new government\u00a0to comprehend and to implement?<\/p>\n

Unified Examination Certificate (UEC)<\/p>\n

Honourable Datuk Amar Speaker,<\/p>\n

What a joke it was when the federal Minister of education choose to\u00a0dwell on the shoes issue instead of concentrating on working towards\u00a0recognizing UEC. Let us 0not forget that some of the Chinese Schools\u00a0in the rural areas especially Sarawak have over 90 percent Bumiputera\u00a0pupils. The teachers were there to give their best and were never\u00a0worried about the different races attending their schools. They only\u00a0strive to bring out the best in each pupil.<\/p>\n

Our late Chief Minister, Tan Sri Adenan Satem took one single day to\u00a0announce and recognize UEC in Sarawak. How much longer is the Pakatan\u00a0Harapan government going to take to recognize UEC? Recognizing UEC\u00a0will give Malaysians a better competitive edge over their counterparts\u00a0in other countries. Accepting UEC is a positive step towards making\u00a0Malaysia a more inclusive and competitive country.<\/p>\n

Let me remind our Pakatan Harapan members in this August house that\u00a0education is meant for all to pursue knowledge for the betterment of\u00a0Malaysians and it should not become a platform for anyone to play\u00a0politics with. The education minister should know that UEC is\u00a0recognized in top universities abroad but NOT in our local public\u00a0universities. How silly and impractical is our education policies?<\/p>\n

UEC students opt to go overseas because they were rejected by their\u00a0own country. Then after completing their higher education, they look\u00a0for jobs in their adopted countries and stayed on. The vicious cycle\u00a0continues. Year after year, we lose our brightest students to other\u00a0countries. This is the main cause of brain drain. Is this so difficult\u00a0for the Pakatan Harapan government\u00a0 to comprehend?<\/p>\n

We honour and remember the late Tan Sri Adenan Satem for paving our\u00a0fight for MA63 and for recognizing UEC in Sarawak. We are thankful\u00a0that our Chief Minister, Datuk Patinggi Abang Jo has reiterated that\u00a0policies which benefited the state will continue. Sarawak is fortunate\u00a0to have Abang Jo who is a wise leader: a leader with good economics\u00a0acuement and\u00a0 who looks at positive changes in policies.<\/p>\n

Projects rejected<\/p>\n

Sarawak PH can claim whatever they want but the truth is that many\u00a0projects have been cancelled since they took over the government. The\u00a0Haji Baki community centre and the upgrading of the hawker centre in\u00a0my batu kitang constiuency which cost RM 2 million have failed to\u00a0proceed.<\/p>\n

Flood mitigation projects in Sarawak amounting to tens of millions\u00a0have also been cancelled. Honourable member of parliament for\u00a0Santubong\u00a0 had mentioned that flood mitigation projects of RM250\u00a0millions for Sarawak\u00a0 has been cancelled by the federal government.\u00a0I am extremely disappointed that each day, the federal government\u00a0takes RM250million worth\u00a0 of Sarawak’s oil and gas and still have the\u00a0cheek to rob Sarawak off basic infrastructure projects comprising of\u00a0roads and drains which are pertinent and are meant for the people\u2019s\u00a0convenience.<\/p>\n

Now, the federal government is talking about National car No. 3. It\u00a0upsets me to think that billions could be spend on a whim at the\u00a0expense of sacrificing funds for education and development projects.\u00a0Khazanah was mention by our PM to implement this project, National Car\u00a0No3. the chairman of Khazanah if non other than the PM. Where is the\u00a0transparency and integrity that member for Kota Sentosa and MP for\u00a0Sampin is talking about?<\/p>\n

I wish to reiterate once again. Do not just talk, Honourable MP for\u00a0Stampin. Give us back full autonomy on Education and Health and let\u00a0Sarawak decide on her own education and health policies. Stop your\u00a0play acting of the 20% royalty. Just give back whatever\u00a0 Pakatan\u00a0Harapan have agreed to give before GE14. Sarawak do not recognize\u00a0PDA74 and the Territorial Sea Act as it has not been passed through\u00a0Sarawak’s DUN. Sarawak acknowledges full ownership of our oil and gas\u00a0and these rights to our land and resources is not negotiable.<\/p>\n

I wish to point out too that Tadika Kemas in Kampung Paya Mebi in my\u00a0Batu Kitang constituecy is below flood level and the kindergarten is\u00a0always flooded after a heavy rain each time. I hope that our<\/p>\n

Honourable MP for Stampin will look into this issue promptly.<\/p>\n

Besides that, soil erosion over the years has caused serious collapse\u00a0of road embankments in many parts of Puncak Borneo. We must denounce\u00a0PDA 1974, the teritory sea act and stop the federal government from\u00a0siphoning Sarawak’s Rm15 billion net profits in oil and Rm49 billion\u00a0gross profits in gas annually, so that we can construct better road\u00a0infrastructure for our people in Sarawak.<\/p>\n

Honourable Datuk Amar speaker,<\/p>\n

At the council level, the Federal government pays RM27,500 through\u00a0Marris Funds for the maintainance of every kilometer of councils’\u00a0roads. The fact is that the actual amount needed to reseal 1 km of 50mm thick premix costs around rm300,000. It is no wonder that all roads\u00a0in Sarawak’s\u00a0 housing estates\u00a0 do not have sufficient fund for the\u00a0council to carry out effective and quality maintenance.<\/p>\n

\"YB<\/a>
YB Lo Khere Chiang<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Honourable Datuk Amar Speaker, Thank you for the honour and the opportunity to debate Yang Amat\u00a0Berhormat, the Chief Minister\u2019s address at this second meeting of the\u00a0second session of the 18th Sarawak State Legislative Assembly. I\u00a0support and congratulate Yang Amat\u00a0 Berhormat, the Chief Minister for\u00a0his articulate budget speech and his success in getting a double\u00a0digit-positive budget for the first time in Sarawak history where 75\u00a0percent of the budget will go into development. This is in contrast to\u00a0Semunanjung’s deficit budget. This positive budget does not eat into\u00a0the reserve of the State ReserveRead More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23246,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23245"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23245"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23245\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23247,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23245\/revisions\/23247"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}