Lau speaks during the press conference.
SIBU (Nov 12): Gabungan Parti Sarawak’s (GPS) candidate for Lanang Wong Ching Yong should bid for government funds for the Chinese independent schools here, if he is elected on Nov 19, said Parti Sarawak Bersatu’s (PSB) Lanang candidate Priscilla Lau.
She said donating all his MP remuneration, if he gets elected this general election, would not be of much help to the five Chinese independent schools here.
“He said he would donate all his MP wages to the five Chinese independent schools. Can he elaborate why he has to do that?
“If he is elected, he has access to government funding and he can ask for government funds for Chinese education. Why does he have to donate his own salaries?” she said during a press conference at the PSB Bawang Assan Branch here today.
Lau said this election promise of Wong’s was similar to the “personal manifesto” of Sibu incumbent Oscar Ling from the Democratic Action Party (DAP).
According to her, Ling would not have to announce another manifesto of his own if he had trusted his party’s manifesto.
“It means the candidates themselves cannot believe the manifesto, meaning they know it (the manifesto) is not the best for Sarawak.
“When they go outside (of the party’s manifesto), it may mean that cannot be done,” she claimed.
Lau opined that Wong could have come up with more substantive plan for Chinese education instead of pledging to donate his MP remuneration.
“What can RM16,000 a month do for Chinese schools? Both candidates (Wong and Ling) have shown a loss of confidence. They feel that they have to do personal agenda for rakyat, fishing for votes,” she said.
PSB president Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh, who was also present, chipped in to say that he had no clue what to make of Ching Yong’s pledge to donate his MP salary to the Chinese independent schools here.
Soon Koh, who is standing in Sibu this general election, even pointed out that the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) leader was also getting paid as the Sibu Rural District Council (SRDC) deputy chairman.
“He has pledged to donate all his MP remuneration to Chinese independent schools, if he gets elected. I do not know whether to laugh or cry over his statement. He is the SRDC deputy chairman and he is paid,” he said.
At a press conference here yesterday, Ching Yong pledged to donate his monthly MP salary of RM16,000 to five Chinese Independent schools in Sibu, if he wins this election.
He said this is geared towards assisting the welfare of teachers and staff in these schools.