Estimated capital investment in ART project among Padungan rep’s 10 written questions for DUN sitting

KUCHING (Nov 19): Padungan assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen has submitted an enquiry to Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg and the Sarawak government on the estimated capital investment in the Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) project for the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Sitting which starts tomorrow until Nov 29.

He said the written reply for the question should also include the land acquisition costs and the expected return on investment and the ridership for the next 10 years.

The query was one of 10 questions Chong has submitted on Nov 3 for written replies in the DUN Sitting.

Chong, who is DAP Sarawak chairman, also sought from Abang Johari on the number of Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (Petros) fuel stations in Kuching as well as in other divisions across the state.

“What is the reason for the slow setting up of these stations?” he asked.

He also asked the Premier to state the current electricity generation, electricity mix and the electricity consumption level in Sarawak.

“How will the proposed sale of 1,000MW electricity to Singapore affect the supply and demand of electricity in Sarawak?

“I’ve also asked the Premier to state the plans to capitalise on Sarawak’s abundance ni renewable energy such as hydropower in helping the development of the small, medium industries in Sarawak,” he said.

In addition, he also sought for a written reply on the Foreign Direct Investment and Domestic Direct Investment of Sarawak for the first three quarters of 2023 vis-à-vis all the other states in Malaysia.

In terms of education, Chong asked the Premier to reveal how many state-owned international schools are in operation to date.

“What is the number of students enrolled and the capital and operation costs per school?” he asked and also would like to know when will the five state-owned international schools be in operation.

Another question submitted was for Abang Johari to state the reason for the failure of the 5,100-hectare Batang Lupar Jelapang Padi project.

“What measures will the state government implement differently to ensure the success of future padi-planting projects?” he asked.

Of Chong’s submitted questions, two were addressed to Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian, who is the Public Health, Housing and Local Government Minister.

One was concerning the three private housing development projects which are two years overdue of their respective completion dates as of August this year.

“How many house purchasers are affected and how much in total are the monetary amount of the purchasers involved?” he asked.

He also asked Dr Sim to state why Sarawak has the highest house price-to-income ratio compared to other states in Malaysia.

“This has made houses in Sarawak the most ‘severely unaffordable’ to people in Sarawak.

“What measure have the government taken to resolve this problem?” asked Chong.