PM agrees to let state use own funds to repair schools — Abang Johari

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KUCHING: Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg says he has met Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to resolve the issue of dilapidated schools in the state that urgently need repairs or rebuilding.

He said the prime minister agreed to the proposal for the state use its own funds to rehabilitate the schools instead of waiting for federal funds.

“We have identified 100 schools that are urgently in need of rehabilitation or replacement,” he said at the breaking-of-fast with Sarawakians working and studying in Peninsular Malaysia at Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday night.

The Borneo Post on June 1 reported Minister for Education, Science and Technological Research Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong as saying there are 1,454 schools in poor condition in the state, with 1,020 considered dilapidated and 434 in urgent need of repair.

Abang Johari also pointed out that the setting-up of the State Education, Science and Technological Research Ministry is to stabilise the state’s education policy.

“It is not because we want to take over the rights of education from the federal government, but to complement the efforts of the federal government in the state,” he said. Also present at the breaking-of-fast function at PWTC were Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas and State Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk Amar Mohd Asfia Awang Nasar.

“Hopefully this meeting will foster closer relationship. You may be far but your spirit is still in Sarawak. When you succeed in any field you are taking, Sarawak also succeeds,” he told Sarawakians at the gathering.

Abang Johari said he considered himself as the ‘Captain’ of the Tok Nan Team, referring to his predecessor, the late Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem.

“I am the Captain of Team Tok Nan because we (state Barisan Nasional) won the last state election when under the helm of Tok Nan. The BN won with a big majority. The BN won 72 out of 82 state seats.

“But sadly he could not join us today because God loves him more and he left us behind. But now I was entrusted to be the Captain of Tok Nan team,” he said.

Abang Johari said, to continue Adenan’s legacy, his team will continue to recover from the federal government the state’s rights and powers stated in the Malaysia Agreement.

On top of that the rural area will be further developed and the urban areas will undergo renewal development, he said.

“We want to quantum leap our economy through technology and therefore digital economy in important. We have allocated RM1 billion to upgrade Internet speed and ICT infrastructures so that connectivity would be without buffering. This will propel e-commerce particularly in the rural areas and for transactions and e-payment to be in real time,” he said.