Chong (right) and Lim pose for a photo when signing on a cupboard to officiate the opening of the DAP service centre in Lundu, while Mordi (second right), Yong (fourth right) and others look on.
KUCHING (Sept 24): Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak will continue to provide checks and balances to the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) state government, said its chairman Chong Chieng Jen.
Despite being part of the unity government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the federal level, Chong said DAP Sarawak is functioning as an Opposition in the state to ensure the benefits of the state development are felt by the general public.
“We have to make sure checks and balances for the government and whatever project that the government has launched, it has to have the trickling down effect to benefit the people,” he said when officiating the opening of a DAP service centre operated by Mas Gading MP Mordi Bimol in Lundu today.
Chong said since it has been well-publicised that the state government had announced projects worth billions of ringgit recently, a greater scrutiny of the state’s financial strength must be conducted for the sake of the future generations.
He stressed that GPS government should not be given a ‘blank cheque’ when it comes to managing the state finances and development, and prudent financial management must be exercised.
“When the government can’t see the right direction, we must point out the right direction to them.
“When we find out that they are going into wrong direction or it does not benefit the people or they are spending too much money or more should be done, we should point it out. That is the role that we have to play, and this is a heavy and challenging responsibility.”
Chong opined that the state government should have invited foreign companies to set up their high-technology plants in the state to benefit from the availability of clean energy, instead of exporting such energy to neighbouring countries including Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei.
“That’s why there must be a paradigm shift in the industrial investment policy of the government of the day, not only for Sarawak but also at the federal level. This is necessary in order to position Sarawak as a preferred investment destination,” he said.
Among those in attendance were Mordi, Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong and DAP veteran Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang.