DAP man: Local govt should shoulder necessary infra improvements as opposition grapples with limited resources

Michael Kong

KUCHING, Jan 13: Matters of local government, including roads and drainage, fall squarely under State jurisdiction making it the responsibility of State government to finance necessary infrastructure improvements.

Highlighting this, Michael Kong, the special assistant to Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen, stated that a funding shortfall from the Sarawak government reflects on the inability of the relevant minister to perform their duties.

“It is also an indication of the failure of (Kuching South City Council Mayor Dato) Wee Hong Seng and (Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr) Sim Kui Hian to hold their fellow Gabungan Parti Sarawak’s (GPS) colleagues accountable for their disservice to the people of Sarawak,” he criticised in a statement today.

He was responding to a recent remark by MBKS Mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng lamenting a lack of financial contribution from DAP assemblymen to the Council for road and drainage maintenance in 2023.

Kong highlighted the disparity in financial resources, noting that GPS assemblymen receive an annual allocation of RM5 million for Rural Transformation Projects (RTP) and RM2 million for Minor Rural Projects (MRP), while opposition assemblymen rely solely on the Federal government and Members of Parliament (MPs) for financial support.

“Even considering the allocations available to opposition MPs, the financial resources at DAP’s disposal are significantly limited compared to those of GPS assemblymen.

“Each MP receives RM2 million for RTP projects. In Kuching and Stampin parliamentary constituencies, encompassing six state constituencies, this averages to a mere RM666,666.67 per constituency; a sum dwarfed by the RM5 million available to each GPS assemblymen,” he said. – DayakDaily