Abang Johari gestures when speaking during the town hall session. — Photo by Muhammad Rais Sanusi
LUNDU: Putrajaya has not taken any action to fix dilapidated schools in the state despite Sarawak paying the first package of RM350 million out of the RM1 billion, said Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
During the ‘Berambeh Ngan Abang Jo’ town hall session at the Lundu Community Hall today, Abang Johari responded to a question by a school teacher saying that the state government had already settled their part of the bargain but the federal government gave no indication as to when they would start the repair work for these schools.
“I have already paid the RM350 million as required in our bargain, but until now the repair work for dilapidated schools in the state has not begun. But over there (in Peninsula), even education is politicised.
“When I asked Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, his response was that a committee would need to be formed first,” Abang Johari said.
He also maintained that the state government did not owe the federal government any debts, and was prompt in paying its loans to them.
“Loans are our right in the Federal Constitution. The federal government is obligated to giving grants and loans to all the states in Malaysia, as is written in the Constitution.
“Even so, Sarawak doesn’t have any debts with the federal government, and any loans that we have, we pay on the dot,” Abang Johari stressed.
Lim had previously asked the Sarawak government to settle the first package of RM350 million out of RM1 billion with Putrajaya first, after which the sum would be disbursed to the state government to repair dilapidated schools in the state.
He also said that the Sarawak government still owed Putrajaya RM2.352 billion as of June 30 this year, adding that the repayment of the RM1 billion would mean the debt to the federal government would stand at RM1.352 billion.
The federal government had agreed in principle to accept the RM1 billion loan payment by the Sarawak government for the repair of dilapidated schools in the state, subject to four legal mechanisms which were agreed to by both sides.
On Aug 13, Minister of Education, Science and Technological Research Datuk Seri Michael Manyin was reported to have said that his ministry had submitted a list of 37 critically dilapidated schools to Putrajaya to be immediately repaired.
According to the ministry, there are about 1,020 schools in the state listed as dilapidated, including 415 that were considered critically dilapidated.
Also present at the town hall session were Santubong MP Dato Sri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Tanjong Datu assemblywoman Datuk Amar Jamilah Anu, Opar assemblyman Dato Ranum Mina and Petra Jaya MP Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.