Kuching: ADUN for Padungan Chong Chieng Jen has submitted 10 questions for the upcoming Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting, including seeking clarification on the State Government’s RM300 million expenditure on the use of a Dassault Falcon 8X private jet since 2023.
Chong said the questions, submitted on Monday, seek to establish why no independent evaluation of alternative procurement options was conducted before the aircraft was leased.
He noted that Hornbill Skyways Sdn Bhd, a state government-linked company that leased the aircraft from Cempaka Helikopter Corporation Sdn Bhd for the government’s use, had yet to respond to his questions.
While the company could choose not to answer questions from the public, Chong said the State Government could not evade scrutiny, as public funds were at stake.
Other issues raised in his 10 questions include the construction costs of the Sarawak White House, the scaling down of the H2ornbill and H2biscus hydrogen projects, and unrealised foreign direct investment (FDI).
He also sought answers on the imbalance in containerised cargo trade, the influx of contractors from China, the Stutong Link Road project and long waiting hours at Senari Port.
Another question calls for the extension of the Free Tertiary Education Scheme (FTES) to all Sarawakian students.
Chong said the State Government must answer these questions and be accountable for its expenditure and policies.
The full list of questions submitted by Chong is as follows:
- To ask the Honourable Premier to state the total costs for the construction and completion of the Kompleks Satria Pertiwi located at Petra Jaya Kuching (including all the furniture and fittings in the kompleks) and the monthly running costs of the building.
- To ask the Honourable Premier to state the original production and capacity targets of the State’s H2ornbill and H2biscus projects and the revised production and capacity numbers after the official announcements in May 2026 to scale-down production and whether any compensation was paid by the Japanese and South Korean partners for suspending the original plan.
- To ask the Honourable Premier to state how much in total has the State Government paid to-date to Hornbill Skyways Sdn Bhd for the use of the private jet Dassault Falcon 8X since 2023, including but not limited to the lease payment, repair and maintenance and the crew maintenance costs?
- To ask the Honourable Premier to state whether there was any due diligence exercise or procurement options evaluation carried out by Hornbill Skyways Sdn Bhd before it entered into the lease agreement to lease the Dassault Falcon 8X private jet from Cempaka Helicopter Corporation Sdn Bhd?
- To ask the Honourable Minister for International Trade, Industry and Investment to state the list of approved Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) for Sarawak in the years 2024 and 2025 that are still not actually realized to-date, the respective amounts approved thereof and the reasons why they are not realised.
- To ask the Honourable Premier to state the cause for the huge disparity in containerized import cargoes and containerized export cargo recorded in Senari Terminal (ie. for Jan to July 2026, containerized import cargo was 3,613 ton while containerized export cargo was only 715 ton), its implication and impact to our economy and what measures have the Government taken to address this great imbalance.
- To ask the Honourable Premier to state, in light of our immigration autonomy, what measures the State Government will take to stop the influx of China contractors into Sarawak to undertake renovation and construction works illegally and at the expense of our local contractors.
- To ask the Honourable Minister for Infrastructure and Port Development to state the work scope for the proposed project to upgrade and expand Stutong Link Road to ease traffic congestion between BDC and Tabuan Tranquility and the estimated costs of construction therefor.
- To ask the Honourable Minister for Infrastructure and Port Development to state the economic losses to traders and shippers caused by the long waiting time for ship to berth at Senari Port Kuching which at times stretches to 2 weeks and what measure the Government is proposing to resolve this issue.
- To ask the Honourable Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development to state when will the State Government extend the Free Tertiary Education (FTES) initiative to Sarawakian students studying in public and private universities other than the 4 universities owned by the State Government.
