Voon Shiak Ni
KUCHING: Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian’s call on the opposition leaders to join the state Barisan Nasional (BN) if they wanted government grants has drawn flak from PKR WomenWing national vice president Voon Shiak Ni.
She reminded Dr Sim that government grants are public funds and do not belong to him.
“How wrong is it of the government for the people to pay taxes and constituency not served? It is a shame for a minister to talk as if all the public funds belong to his political party (SUPP).
“It is a shame too for him to disclose the millions of funds with all the BN elected representatives all these years and yet the development in Sarawak is still 10 years behind Peninsular Malaysia,” she said in a press statement yesterday.
Dr Sim also said that BN elected representatives in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) are each given Rural Transformation programme (RTP) funds worth RM5 million and Minor Rural Project funds worth RM4 million a year.
He also disclosed that the allocations “is as a start” given that elected representatives can fight for more funds, as and when necessary.
Voon, who is also PKR Stampin branch vice chairperson, said the disclosure by Dr Sim had made people angry knowing that all the funds were allocated and yet there were still places without treated water supply and electricity even though their elected representatives are from BN.
“Yes, the opposition leaders have a choice to join you all in SUPP or BN parties. But why did we choose to be in the opposition? I think the answer is obvious to all the voters who voted for the opposition .”
She regarded those who voted for the opposition as “selfless voters” who chose to vote the opposition for a greater cause of the future generation.
“They do not want the leaders of BN to continue to plunder the wealth of this nation and the vice of corruption to deepen and taking roots in the system. They want the opposition to play the check and balance role.”
Voon also reminded Dr Sim and other BN elected representatives that nowadays, every baby born is a debtor, adding: “Because of the wastage, leakages and corruption, every newborn now is a debtor with an estimated debt of US$10,000 just because of the debt-ridden government.”
Therefore, she reminded Dr Sim to not be so boastful and arrogant and to remember that the failure of the government to allocate funds for areas won by opposition is not something to shout about.
Unlike the BN government, Voon said the Pakatan Harapan-led state government in Selangor and Penang are not neglecting the voters who voted for BN because they believed that every voter contributed to the taxes of the state and should be accorded equal treatment and service.