Maszlee assures diesel delivery for schools without power supply as soon as possible

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Dr Maszlee Malik

MIRI: Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik has given assurance that diesel supply will be delivered to schools in Sarawak that are without power supply as soon as possible.

Maszlee said that the Sarawak Education Department has been instructed to step in and purchase the fuel needed to ensure situation returns to normal by the time students return from their mid-term holiday.

He conceded that certain schools in Sarawak had ran out of fuel as the contractor Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd had failed to deliver the supply accordingly.

“I will make sure that the fuel supply reach the respective schools as soon as possible before the students return from their school holidays,” he said.

According to him, he had approved his ministry to purchase new diesel supply immediately and the Ministry of Finance had considered this purchase.

“Allocation will be given to Sarawak Education Department immediately so that purchase (of diesel) can be made.”

The managing director of contractor Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd, Saidi Abang Samsudin confirmed that the company was unable to send more fuel to the schools, claiming that the Ministry of Education failed to pay up over RM200 million in work done since December 2017.

“Although they did not pay (then), we still supplied,” he said when asked to comment on the latest episode of fuel shortage affecting schools in Sarawak.

He did not give any reasons for the payment withheld but sources said it was likely due to reports of dispute of alleged irregularities detected by the ministry between the claims and actual term of contracts which had now been highlighted under the new Pakatan Harapan government.

Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd was one of the 31 contractors supplying diesel and maintaining generator sets for 14 schools under Baram 2 zone for 2015 to 2016 as well as schools in Mukah and Dalat but it was awarded the contract to supply fuel for all the 369 schools in Sarawak from  2017 onwards.

Saidi referred this latest brouhaha to the ministry, which had given the reason that it was still being processed as of January this year, complaining that the federal government continued to owe the company despite work done.

“No payment, how to supply?” he asked.

He had earlier this month threatened to sue whistle blower Sarawak Report for implicating the company in alleged corruption that former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who was also Finance Minister then, signed off on hundreds of millions of ringgit for the solar project for schools in Sarawak, in what the whistleblower claimed was a scam. It also alleged that Saidi has benefited from his contacts with Najib’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor

Saidi yesterday claimed he was told by his men that only 40 schools were affected and they are still supplying the fuel as of Saturday this week. The mid-term school holidays ends next week.

Meanwhile, Education, Science and Technological Research Minister Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong when contacted today said he had contacted the special advisor to Minister of Education was told that the ministry had approved certain amount of allocation to address the immediate need for diesel.

“I will be meeting the minister to discuss further on the issue of diesel supply to schools in Sarawak on on Friday, June 22.”