Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh – Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING (May 26): Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) president Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh is seeking clarification from Deputy Premier Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian on whether the federal government has agreed in writing to reimburse Sarawak the cost of building the proposed cancer centre.
Dr Sim should also respond to whether or not the federal government has agreed in writing that the centre is built even, otherwise the situation would be similar to that of the Sarawak Heart Centre previously, Wong said in a press conference at the media centre of the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) here.
Wong also went on to say that Dr Sim would be a laughing stock if he continues to issue trigger-happy statements through the media all the time.
“Being Deputy Premier III, it is unbecoming of him to make trigger-happy remarks all the time,” he said.
Wong was referring to the three options Dr Sim had posed to the federal government for building the cancer centre and also his remark that the state is “now independent” with the ability to fork out RM1 billion per month for development.
“So I am asking him if he knows how budgeting is done,” Wong said.
Earlier yesterday, the DUN was told that the state would have completed all of its infrastructure, water and electricity projects by now if former Second Finance Minister, who happened to be Wong, had introduced the five per cent Sarawak Sales Tax (SST) on petroleum and petroleum products within the period 2004 to 2019.
Such alternative funding could also have resulted in Sarawak to be halfway to having a trillion US dollar Sovereign Fund like that of Norway, said Dr Sim, who is also Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government.
“For the information of Bawang Assan assemblyman (Wong), Sarawak government is in a strong financial position as stated by Sarawak Premier on Oct 30 2021 as reported in print media whereby the Sarawak government is capable of dishing out RM1 billion per month for development purposes,” said Dr Sim in his ministerial winding-up speech which included responses to queries from members of the DUN.
Dr Sim, who is also Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) president, also told Wong that the Sarawak government through Sarawak Health Department does have a plan to establish the cancer centre in Samarahan.
Currently, there are three options for the federal government to consider, namely a 390-bed cancer centre but equipped for 300 beds at a cost of RM860 million (Option 1); a 390-bed cancer centre fully equipped with a cost of RM966 million (Option 2) and; a 474-bed cancer centre hospital at a cost of RM1.12 billion (Option 3).
He explained the cost estimate does not only cover the construction of the building but also takes into account other complementing state of the art equipment and facilities.