Verbal Approval Worthless: Send the RM1 billion allocation – Dr. Jeffrey

Kota Kinabalu: “The DPM and the federal government should stop hoodwinking and stop fooling the people of Sabah and Sarawak.   Sabahans and Sarawakians have awoken from their 50 years slumber and demanding Sabah and Sarawak to be treated as equal partners in Malaysia” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief, commenting on the verbal promise of RM1 billion to rebuild dilapidated schools in Sabah and Sarawak.

Verbal statements of allocations even verbal promises by federal leaders are have been proven to be worthless in the past and turn out to be false hopes and broken promises.

In July 2013, the Sarawak Minister Infrastructure Development and Communications had demanded that the federal government must put in writing approval of projects instead of announcing them verbally as had been the case of several federal projects yet to be implemented in the state as it was impossible to proceed without any written approval.

Tan Sri Muhyiddin need to remember that he is not only the Education Minister but also the Deputy Prime Minister.   The DPM should be aware of the growing calls from people in the Borneo States for the implementation of the Malaysia Agreement and Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners with Malaya and to be equally treated.  

He himself said that Malaysians were treated equally.   However, in reality, Sabahans and Sarawakians feel that they have been marginalized and shoddily treated particularly in development.

The DPM should also be aware that if his promises for the RM1 billion allocation to rebuild the schools are not subsequently carried out, it will not only affect the federal government but him personally.

All in there are more than 600 schools in Sabah and Sarawak that are awaiting for the RM1 billion allocation and some of these schools were built during the British colonial times and have not been repaired by the present Umno-led BN government.  

The consequences of failure will be tremendous given the number of affected students and their parents many of whom are BN supporters and voters in the past.   It will not be so in the coming PRU-14 general elections.

The DPM should send the RM1 billion allocation immediately to the governments in Sabah and Sarawak to honour his pledge to rebuild and repair these schools.   Otherwise, the DPM may find himself isolated and helpless to do anything on the allocation since the funds come from the Finance Ministry which is controlled by the PM cum Finance Minister.

Perhaps, the DPM should also take the opportunity to beef up the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office as well as there is continuous rumours and talk of the DPM’s powers and position being eroded and usurped by someone else connected with the PM’s Office.  Better still, take steps to change the PM.

Failure of the allocations will also put the DPM equal to PM Najib with his wide-ranging broken promises to the people of Sabah and Sarawak.

Most important of all, the DPM cum Education Minister need to be reminded that the upgrading of the schools in Sabah and Sarawak will help improve the school environment for students there and hopefully contribute to better education standards.

The people of Sabah and Sarawak will be awaiting news of the transfer of the RM1 billion allocation to the Sabah and Sarawak governments.