PBB leaders lashed out at DAP Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen (left) for criticising the Sarawak government while defending DAP national chairman Lim Guan Eng (right) on the state’s dilapidated schools.
KUCHING (Oct 19): Several Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) leaders have lashed out at Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen for criticising the state government while defending DAP national chairman Lim Guan Eng on Sarawak’s dilapidated schools.
PBB Youth chief Miro Simuh said during the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration, Sarawak was subject to ‘bullying of the highest order’ by the then federal government during its 22 months in power.
“Who could forget that on Sarawak Day in 2019, a historic occasion for the state, we were delivered with harsh news that our schools would not be repaired until Sarawak repaid its debt to the federal government.
“It was petty for Guan Eng to demand repayment of the debt, one that lacked concern for Sarawakians and professionalism on the part of the then finance minister,” he said in a statement.
Chong in his statement Tuesday defended Lim of allegations that the former finance minister had demanded Sarawak settle its RM1 billion debt to Putrajaya before allocations to repair dilapidated schools could be set aside.
The Stampin incumbent MP had also asked Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg not to deviate from the truth regarding this RM1 billion repayment issue following the statement made by the latter at a town hall session in Kuala Lumpur recently that he was challenged by Lim four years ago to repay the loan from the federal government in advance.
Miro, who is Serembu assemblyman, said the politics of DAP and PH had always been to nitpick on things where politics take precedence over everything.
“We also remember that Guan Eng’s statement on July 22, 2019 to demand Sarawak to repay the debt to the federal government came exactly a month after he, in his capacity as finance minister, alleged that Sarawak would be bankrupt within three years.
“The irony of it is that this purportedly ‘soon-to-be-bankrupt’ state was lending money to the federal government for it to undertake school repairs in Sarawak.
“This begs the question to Chong, who exactly is twisting facts? Who is turning to gutter politics to save face? It is Chong and the DAP,” he said.
PBB Information chief Dato Idris Buang, in echoing the same sentiment, posed a question to Chong – asking whether it was a fact that Lim had asked the state government to repay its loan to the federal government first before any funds to repair dilapidated schools in Sarawak could be allocated.
“If the answer is ‘yes’, then Chong better admit that he is trying to defend a big, fat lie himself,” he said.
He said an article published in The Borneo Post on July 23, 2019 titled “Lim: School repair money is yours, but first pay back’ clearly captured this ‘loan repayment demand’ statement made by Lim.
“There are also many reports and coverages in national and state media as well as social media that carried this same statement made by Lim including videos of him issuing the demand.
“We need to ask him if PH really cared for Sarawak when so many projects approved for Sarawak were canceled during PH’s administration,” he said.