Kuching: ADUN for Padungan Chong Chieng Jen has questioned whether the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government has become so intolerant of criticism that it can no longer be questioned, following his suspension from the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN).
Chong said his suspension to attend the DUN sitting this time is on the flimsiest of excuses.
“I was merely questioning the accuracy of the 2027 State Budget document, and for that, I was met with the suspension without being accorded the right to be heard. Can’t an elected member of the DUN question the document tabled by the Executive in DUN?
“In fact, the role of an elected representative is to question the Executive, and that was exactly what I have done and got suspended for. This is the danger of giving the ruling party an overwhelming majority in the legislature. It can now lord over the Dewan Undangan Negeri without being accountable to the people of Sarawak,” he said.
He highlighted the imbalance in the DUN, where only two opposition representatives faced 80 government representatives, yet he claimed the GPS government and its ministers could not tolerate a different voice.
“Has the GPS Government become such dictatorial that it is now beyond question?” he asked.
Chong also suspected that his suspension could be linked to his criticism of the allegedly excessive cost of leasing the Dassault Falcon 8X private jet, an issue he raised during the budget debate and which he said the GPS government had yet to adequately explain.
“Even though I am now suspended, since I have raised this issue in DUN on Wednesday and also the issue on the 30% Bumiputera quota for all major Sarawak government projects, the GPS Government is still under a duty to provide answers and explanations in their winding up next week.
“The GPS Government and ministers do not only owe me a duty to answer to the issues raised in DUN, but they owe it to the people of Sarawak to provide answers and explanations to the issues raised in DUN,” he said.
