Batu Kitang assemblyman Dato Ir Lo Khere Chiang has criticised DAP Sarawak\u2019s claim of championing \u201cchecks and balances,\u201d saying the party\u2019s past actions show inconsistency and failure to defend Sarawak\u2019s core interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Responding to DAP Sarawak chairman YB Chong Chieng Jen\u2019s recent remarks calling for stronger opposition representation in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly, Lo said accountability must be matched by consistent advocacy for Sarawak\u2019s rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAccountability is indeed important. But when Sarawak\u2019s core rights were being tested, did DAP Sarawak speak clearly, consistently, and decisively for Sarawak? The record speaks for itself,\u201d he said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He recalled that Chong had once pledged to deliver 50 percent of all taxes collected in Sarawak and 20 percent oil royalties to the state when DAP was part of the federal government, but none of those promises materialised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot a single sen of increased revenue reached Sarawak as a result of his efforts. It was a pledge made loudly but never fulfilled,\u201d Lo said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also referred to the period in 2019 when Sarawak imposed the five percent State Sales Tax on petroleum products. Former Attorney General Tommy Thomas revealed that then Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng had raised objections that could have affected Sarawak\u2019s ability to collect the tax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt this critical moment, DAP Sarawak did not stand up firmly for Sarawak. If defending Sarawak is truly the priority, this silence requires a clear and honest explanation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On transparency, Lo questioned Chong\u2019s repeated emphasis on \u201cchecks and balances,\u201d pointing out that during his more than two decades in Parliament, he never called for Petronas to table its full financial accounts for scrutiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf the role of the opposition is to question, why was this not questioned? If the role is to scrutinise, why was this not scrutinised? And if the role is to defend Sarawak\u2019s interests, why did YB Chong not lead that defence?\u201d Lo asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He further said that even on the issue of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), it was the late Pehin Sri Adenan Satem, not DAP, who recognised the certificate in Sarawak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEven after multiple DAP terms in the federal government, UEC remains unrecognised in Peninsular Malaysia,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lo stressed that while DAP makes promises it cannot deliver, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) under Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg has shown results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe five percent petroleum sales tax is being enforced. PETROS is recognised as the sole gas aggregator for Sarawak. Operational control in the gas sector is steadily returning to Sarawakian hands. These are not slogans. These are results,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lo warned against allowing Sarawak to be used as a platform to strengthen the parliamentary influence of Peninsular-based party leaderships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDAP Sarawak is not an independent Sarawak-based party. Its policy direction and strategic decisions are aligned with the national DAP leadership in Peninsular Malaysia. That is why its priorities often do not reflect Sarawak\u2019s needs on the ground,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also criticised Lim Guan Eng\u2019s 2019 statement suggesting that Sarawak would go bankrupt in three years, which he said was proven untrue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSarawak\u2019s financial resilience speaks for itself,\u201d Lo said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He concluded that Sarawak\u2019s unity, peace, and harmony remain its greatest strength, adding, \u201cSarawak\u2019s progress is our shared responsibility. Sarawak First. Sarawak Always.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Batu Kitang assemblyman Dato Ir Lo Khere Chiang has criticised DAP Sarawak\u2019s claim of championing \u201cchecks and balances,\u201d saying the party\u2019s past actions show inconsistency and failure to defend Sarawak\u2019s core interests. Responding to DAP Sarawak chairman YB Chong Chieng Jen\u2019s recent remarks calling for stronger opposition representation in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly, Lo said accountability must be matched by consistent advocacy for Sarawak\u2019s rights. \u201cAccountability is indeed important. But when Sarawak\u2019s core rights were being tested, did DAP Sarawak speak clearly, consistently, and decisively for Sarawak? The recordRead More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33950,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,1,7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33949"}],"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=33949"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33949\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33951,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33949\/revisions\/33951"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}