92.6 % (76 Seats) Majority And Nothing Achieved
On the 18th Dec 2021, Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari was sworned in as the Premier of Sarawak. He took office with 76 seats (out of 82) or 92.6% majority in the dewan undangan negeri (DUN). It was historic for both the victorious Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and for the DUN. Never before in the history of Sarawak has a government been formed with that many seats in the DUN.
Sarawakians who propelled the GPS to become the new government of the day were ecstatic. The election promises during the campaign period were the among the very best ever heard in the history of elections in Sarawak.
Still smarting from the dilapidating effects of the movement control orders induced by the Covid.19 pandemic and the consequential loss of jobs, business and income and disruption to their childrens’ education, Sarawakians waited with expectant hope that the promises made will be quickly fulfilled so that some measure of normalcy may return to their lives.
The usual 100 days bench marking for the fulfillment of some crucial election promise had passed by. GPS is now 6 moths plus into their current term of governance of Sarawak. What has GPS achieved?
To be fair, their preferred timeline for the fulfillment of election promises or manifesto is 10 years. Whether their studies have shown that 10 years is what is needed to fulfill a particular promise or the 10 years represents a 2 DUN terms is something that they only know. But as voters who had propelled and empowered them to become the government, we have the right to make an assessment of their performance now.
GPS’s clarion call during the campaign period centered on the Malaysian Agreement 1963 (MA63) and the fight to recover Sarawak’s lost rights. Among the matters raised were the Petroleum Development Act 1974 (PDA’74), autonomy in education, autonomy on health and medical, Territorial Sea Act 2012 (TSA-2012), employment in the civil service and cost of living and mega projects cancelled by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.
These are all matters that resonates with the ordinary Sarawakians. These were and still are their self-given Key Performance Indicators (KPI).
How has their performance been like and what are their actual achievement?
PDA’74 & The Oil Royalty
When PH was campaigning during the run up to the PRU.14 in 2018, one of the crucial matter raised was the 20% royalty from oil and the return to Sarawak of 50% of tax collected in Sarawak. PH won the PRU.14 and for the next 22 months, they were the federal government BUT nothing happened. Not a single sen came out of PH’s election manifesto. There was complete silence. What had happened?
Their lawmakers and their cybertroopers soon ‘discovered ‘this chink in PH’s armour. PH failed Sarawakians GPS screamed. Video clips of a PH lawmaker talking about the 20% O&G royalty and the 50 % tax to be returned to Sarawak in parliament made the rounds of social media like a broken record - over and over again. GPS exploited that to the fullest and eventually used to win the PRN.12 in Dec 2021.
Then on the 4th July 2022, between the hallowed walls of a court room, the truth was finally revealed. It transpired that PH could not fulfilled the promise because Premier Abang Johari refused the deal and did not sign the agreement. IT WAS NOT BECAUSE PH RENEGE ON THEIR PROMISE!
So what exactly did Premier Abang Johari and GPS do to recover the rights that Sarawak lost under the PDA’74?
There was a mention about a commercial settlement agreement (CSA) and one of the item mentioned is the distribution rights to gas in Sarawak. Initially Sarawakians were led to believe that Sarawak owned PETROS will be given the sole right to distribute Petronas gas all over Sarawak. Later it transpired that the company charged with distributing gas is 41% owned by Petronas. So where is the rights recovered, rights that were lost under PDA’74? None.
Autonomy In Education
Education is still firmly in the Federal List of the federal constitution and Sarawak has nothing to say on the national education policies.
The two areas in which Sarawak had clearly been ‘ di anak-tiri kan’ i.e the repairs and upgrading of dilapidated schools and recruitment of local Sarawak teachers are examples of the neglect by the Malayan driven federal government and of the justification for Sarawak to demand autonomy in education. But other than just talking about it, the GPS government of Sarawak has done and achieved nothing.
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2021/06/700577/call-sarawak-graduates-be-given-preference
Autonomy On Medical & Health Matters
Like education, medical and health matters is still firmly in the federal list. During the Covid.19 pandemic, the GPS government Sarawak could not even buy the vaccines needed to vaccinate front-liners and ordinary Sarawakians. This despite GPS leaders shouting that Sarawak is different and can afford to pay for the vaccines. The hospital in Petra Jaya, after more than a decade, is till not completed yet, a direct result of the incompetence of the Malaya driven federal government.
The Klinik Kesihatan Long Sukang in Lawas which was launched in 2015 and has seen only a 30.9% completion is another victim of the incompetence of the Malaya driven federal government. Sarawak has more than ample examples of such incompetence and provides sufficient justification for Sarawak to demand autonomy in the medical and health sector but what has been achieved so far is a big fat zero.
https://www.theborneopost.com/2022/06/19/contractor-of-long-busang-clinic-may-get-the-sack/
Territorial Sea Act 2012
This Act of parliament which GPS parliamentarians ( BN in 2012) voted for reduced Sarawak’s territorial sea from 12 nautical miles from shore to a mere 3 nautical miles. Lost to the Malaya driven federal government are the natural resources, including O&G, that were located within the original 12 nautical miles boundary.
The GPS government of Sarawak has not even spoken about seeking to amend the TSA-2012 in parliament. In the meantime, all the natural resources outside the current limit of 3 nautical miles (from Sarawak’s shore) is firmly in the hands of the Malaya driven federal government.
Mega Projects And Delays
The Batang Lupar bridge project, an estimated RM5 billion project launched in March 2021 is now experiencing delays. This is something quite unexpected since GPS had crucified the PH government for shelving the project and had proudly announced that they will not only use the state government fund but will also manage the construction.
Sarawakians had expected the project to be smooth sailing venture.
https://dayakdaily.com/ongoing-rm848-million-batang-lupar-bridge-fully-funded-by-gps-govt/
https://www.newsarawaktribune.com.my/late-delivery-of-materials-causing-batang-lupar-bridge-delay/
The RM108 million Bebuling STOLPORT project, touted to be among the catalysts to turn Betong into a food production is also now experiencing delays.
Poverty Rate In Sarawak
Sarawak, together with Sabah, Kedah and Kelantan are the 4 states in Malaysia having the highest number of poor people among its population.
This naturally begs the question: What has GPS, previously the Sarawak chapter of Barisan Nasional or BN, which has ruled Sarawak with an unbroken record and equipped with the largest reserves, done to ensure that no Sarawakians are oppressed by poverty and left in the fringe? Quite frankly, nothing noteworthy at all.
What is the use in having a record breaking majority in the DUN, a change in title and a ‘bountiful income’ and the biggest reserve when the majority of Sarawakians are living in poverty?
Sarawakians, reflect on this as we head towards the PRU.15. The GPS government, despite the BKSS cash aids to bring relief to the poor and hard-pressed in Sarawak is not the competent government that you may have imagined them to be.
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