Press Statement by Abdul Aziz Isa:
The incident of a state assistant minister from GPS landed on SK Sacred Heart Semeba compound which went viral yesterday had raised criticisms not only from the parents but also from the people living nearby such as those from Kpg Semeba, Kpg Sudat and Kpg Tematu.
It was well-known that the state assistant minister was using the helicopter to attend GPS Zone Two launching ceremony at Kpg Semeba Multipurpose Hall. My question to the state assistant minister is instead of landing on the school’s compound, why didn’t he land on the football field next to the Kpg Semeba Multipurpose Hall? What’s the purpose of using the helicopter where there is road assess to Kpg Semeba? Kpg Semeba is not located somewhere in the remote area in Sarawak but instead, the village is located just 15 kilometres from Kuching City.
If the state assistant minister was coming from other places that is far from Kpg Semeba, then he should have proper time management. If he knows that he is late for the event, then there is no need to show up and cause unnecessary problems in the village.
Since the helicopter carrying the state assistant minister landed on the school’s compound, my question to the State Education Department is, were they notified about this? If yes, why did the State Education Department allowed a state assistant minister from GPS to use the school compound which is under the jurisdiction of the federal government? If no, will the State Education Department take action against the state minister for trespassing?
Secondly, since the incident had caused severe damages to the school particularly on the roof and signboards, will the state assistant minister pay some compensation to repair all the roof and signboards? Will the state assistant minister issue an official apology to the school and to the state education department?
Thirdly, did the state assistant minister use the taxpayers’ money to attend a political event organised by GPS? If yes, then it is clearly an abuse of power. The government officials should not use the taxpayers’ money to attend a political event other than the state government official events. The state assistant minister should have used his personal car. As such, I urge the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to not compromise in this issue and should step-in immediately to investigate this matter.
Since this has become a serious issue, I also urge the State Education Department to come out with a statement to clarify this matter as this involves the public interest and I urge the state assistant minister to issue a public apology to the school.
Abdul Aziz Isa
Special Assistant to YB Chong Chieng Jen
DAP Socialist Youth (DAPSY) Sarawak Publicity Secretary
