Kuching: The recent hike in assessment rates at Sungai Apong has sparked outrage among residents, with some claiming their annual payments have quadrupled.
Pending State Assemblywoman, Violet Yong Wui Wui, criticised the explanation given by Kuching South City Council (MBKS) Mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng, calling it “an attempt to cover up MBKS’ insensitivity towards the plight of the people.”
According to Violet Yong, one resident who previously paid RM304 annually is now being billed RM1,203 – nearly a fourfold increase.
She said justification that the higher rates were due to house modifications such as wall-ups or car porch extensions was “insulting to the people’s intelligence.”
“Even if there were changes to the houses, such an astronomical jump overnight is completely unjustifiable. This is sheer daylight robbery,” Violet Yong said in a statement.
She also questioned MBKS’s claims of transparency, noting that residents were neither informed nor consulted before receiving the new bills.
“Where is the fairness and proportionality in suddenly burdening ordinary families with four times their previous assessment? The truth is simple: MBKS has shown insensitivity and disregard for the struggles of ordinary people.
“When Sarawak is so rich, why then must ordinary ratepayers be squeezed with a fourfold hike in their assessment bills? Clearly, the people’s money is being collected aggressively while basic services and facilities remain unimproved,” she said.
Responding to accusations from the Mayor that she was confusing, Violet Yong said the facts spoke for themselves.
“The residents themselves received the bills. They know precisely how much more they are being asked to pay.
“The only confusion comes from MBKS’s excuses and attempts to spin the issue. The Mayor should stop hiding behind empty rhetoric and answer directly: Does MBKS consider a fourfold increase to be fair and reasonable? Yes or no?” she asked.
Violet Yong also took issue with what she described as “personal attacks” by the Mayor, stressing that MBKS should focus on easing people’s hardships instead of “playing politics.”
“The people of Sungai Apong are not fools. They see clearly who is standing up for them and who is trying to silence them,” she added, demanding that MBKS review the hikes immediately and rectify what she called an injustice.
