Dr Sim part of Cabinet, had decision-making power during 2020 Covid food aid drive, court told

KUCHING (July 29): The state cabinet had decision-making power and was involved in the decisions of the Divisional Disaster Management Committee (DDMC) regarding the Food Supply Chain Committee for the Covid-19 food aid drive in 2020, the High Court here heard today.

Testifying in the defamation suit brought against him by Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian, Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen said it was incorrect to suggest that the state cabinet had no decision-making power whatsoever.

“I disagree because be it the DDMC, or the Food Supply Chain Committee, both are committees set up by the state government of Sarawak, and the ultimate decision-making body of the state government of Sarawak is the state Cabinet of ministers, and the plaintiff was a member of the state Cabinet of ministers at that time,” said Chong.

He said this after the plaintiff’s counsel Shankar Ram Asnani put it to him that Dr Sim was not involved in the committee in terms of the food aid purchases, payment, allocation and distribution from the start to the end of the process of Covid-19 food aid drive.

Chong further testified that since the beginning of the Movement Control Order on March 18, 2020, Dr Sim was seen and reported in the press almost daily in press conferences held by the DDMC.

Apart from that, Chong added that Dr Sim was the state minister taking charge of healthcare matters in Sarawak during the time.

He also said that the on April 3, 2020, Dr Sim was quarantined after attending a DDMC meeting with other ministers, where he was exposed to a Covid-19 positive patient during a State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) meeting on March 27, 2020, as reported by the media.

“Therefore, the plaintiff is very much in the committees of SDMC or its sub-committee and as a minister, he was surely in the decision-making process,” said Chong.

Dr Sim, who is Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) president and Batu Kawah assemblyman, filed the suit in 2020 over Chong’s allegation that the deputy premier had failed to manage food aid funds worth RM800,000 meant for four opposition-held state constituencies – Padungan, Batu Lintang, Pending and Kota Sentosa.

Representing Chong are lawyers Michael Kong, Chong Siew Chiang, Brenda Chong and Sharon Lo.

Apart from Shankar, Dr Sim is also represented by Lai Eddy.

The suit is being heard before Judge Dr Alwi Abdul Wahab.