KUCHING: Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) Marudi branch chairman Datuk Sylvester Entri believes party president Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh was sincere in suggesting that the state government be more prudent in its financial management.
In voicing support for Wong, Entri said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah should not have accused the Bawang Assan assemblyman of trying to tarnish the image of the state government.
“Uggah, who is the current Second Finance Minister, should take what was suggested by Wong in good faith. After all, he (Wong) was the former second finance minister for over 15 years,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Entri, himself a former state assistant minister, also said he was disappointed to have read that Uggah had called Wong a liar during Monday’s State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting.
He said he believed what Wong had said was out of the latter’s sincere and genuine concern about the financial situation of the state.
Touching on the issue on whether or not there was a Contingency Fund in the 2020 State Budget, Entri said he believed the answer was no.
“Otherwise Uggah would not have stated that he had to utilise other funds to pay for the over-RM2 billion aid packages during this pandemic period.
“He (Uggah) said that the sources of funding to pay for the aid packages of over RM2 billion are from Bank Negara Malaysia’s Special Relief Fund (RM1 billion), savings from unimplemented projects and Development Fund Account, and the 2020 Development Budget (Micro Credit Schemes).
“He openly admitted that there is really no contingency fund. He had to plug here and there to make up the payment of the aid packages. It proves beyond doubt that there is no contingency fund, otherwise why utilise so many other sources of funding to meet the payments,” he said.
Entri said it was clear that the 2020 State Budget was no longer realistic and tenable, as pointed out by Wong.
He noted that total budget was RM10.067 billion and that after deducting the sharp fall in oil and gas royalties, drastic reduction in sales tax on crude palm oil, timber royalty, as well as dividend income and interest receivable, the state was left with only about half of the total budget.
“How can we appropriate RM6.4 billion to the Development Fund? We do not have such money. I agree with Wong that we should relook and review our 2020 State Budget and re-prioritise all our development initiatives so that our financial resources would not be stretched too far,” he said.