Michael Kong
KUCHING: Michael Kong, special assistant to Democratic Action party (DAP) Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen, has challenged Local Government and Housing Minister Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian to reveal an official memo dated April 3 regarding food assistance allocation for five state constituencies.
Kong said that Dr Sim was trying to sidestep the issue by claiming his Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) service centre was nominated by Ministry of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development to manage the food aid allocation for five constituencies.
“He tries to divert the issue by saying that the allocation of funds was not up to him and/or his service centre and that the fund is with the Divisional Disaster Management Committee. This press statement is only half-truth,” said Kong in a statement.
He said the five constituencies are Padungan, Pending, Batu Lintang, Kota Sentosa and Dr Sim’s own constituency of Batu Kawah.
In the said memo that was addressed to all Resident Offices, Kong said Dr Sim and his service centre were given the authority and discretion to decide on how to spend the RM1 million allocated for food aid for the five state constituencies.
“Dr Sim had conveniently failed to reveal the part of the ministry’s memo stating that his service centre has the discretion to decide on the purchase of all the food items, and thereafter forward the bill to committee for payment, or pay first then claim reimbursement from the committee,” he said.
The question remains as to why Dr Sim’s service centre was nominated by the ministry to decide on the purchase and distribution of food items for all the four other state constituencies of which he is not the elected assemblyman, Kong added.
“The fact that this is the decision of the Ministry of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development and not his decision is not a valid excuse because Dr Sim is a member of the state cabinet and the cabinet decides collectively as one,” he said.