Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh
KUCHING: Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) announced that their state assemblymen will not be attending the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting today.
In a statement released yesterday, PSB president Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh said the DUN sitting will not give members any opportunity to debate and raise relevant issues as it will be held for only one day, adding there will be no debate on the two supplementary budget Bills to be tabled at the sitting.
“I refer to the press release by the DUN Speaker Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar, stating that the sitting of the DUN on May 11 will only be for one day and there will be no debate on the two supplementary budgets to be tabled as stated in Standing Order 67(4) and (8).
“This means that this sitting will not give members of the DUN any opportunity to debate and raise relevant issues, in particular, the questions relating to the huge deficit in the 2019 and 2020 budgets as a result of the shortfall in oil and gas sales tax payable by Petronas,” he said.
Wong reiterated that the DUN must sit for at least three days to debate on the 2019 and 2020 state budgets, which he deemed as “presumptuous and unrealistic”.
He added that the state budget had grossly overestimated the income from the sales tax on petroleum products.
“If the state assemblymen are not permitted to debate other issues during this sitting, then the sitting becomes a meaningless exercise.
“It will only be a formality to pass the supplementary budgets without any debate.”
Aside from Wong who is Bawang Assan assemblyman, PSB’s other assemblymen are Dr Johnichal Rayong (Engkilili), Datuk Ranum Mina (Opar) and Datuk Tiong Thai King (Dudong).