Press Statement By Chong Chieng Jen:
Is the much-touted Dr Sim Kui Hian’s Road Tar-paving Project Rakyat a project to improve basic infrastructure in Batu Kawa area or a project to fish for vote?
This question arises because of a victim of discrimination by Dr Sim’s Pusat Khidmat when a land-owner approached the service centre to request for the road leading to his house to be tar-surfaced under the project.
Mr Bong is a voter in Batu Kitang. He lives in a house situate at the Sungai Moyan area which is in the Batu Kawah DUN constituency. The small gravel road leading to his house is about 100 metres. He requested from the SUPP Batu Kawah’s Service Centre for the gravel road to be tar-paved. His request was rejected because he is a registered voter at the Batu Kitang area even though his house is now in the Batu Kawah area.
Such discrimination is most abhorrent.
The Project Rakyat allocation is supposed to improve the basic road infrastructure of the area, not associated with the voting area of an applicant. Even if a person is not a registered voter, if his or her house is situated in the area for which the fund is allocated, his request must be attended to.
Therefore, the first question that arises from such a respond from the SUPP Batu Kawah Service Centre is:
“Is the allocation for improvement of road infrastructure or to fish for votes of Dr Sim?”
The second question that arises: Is a Batu Kitang voter not a Sarawakian and why the fund of the Sarawak Government (which belong to the people of Sarawak) cannot be utilised for his benefit?
So much has been self-claimed by SUPP that SUPP fights for the rights of Sarawakians.
However, the actual fact seems to be that the SUPP leaders are so territorial minded that they will discriminate against another Sarawakian who is not voting in his area.
The duty of any elected member of the State Assembly is not only confined to his area and his voters but to the whole of Sarawak and all Sarawakians. More so the duty of a minister.
Moreover, Batu Kitang DUN is just next to Batu Kawah DUN and both areas are held by SUPP elected representatives. If the two are not even prepared to help the voters in another’s area, what can be expected of them by the other Sarawakians from the other 79 DUN areas?
Leaders of such parochial mind cannot be tasked to defend and fight for the rights of Sarawak and all Sarawakian.
The third question arises is:
“On what official basis is Mr. Bong’s request rejected?”
As we have been the Government for 22 months, we know for a fact that the area of voting of a person can never be an official reason for any decision of a government department. It is always either the ADUN or the little napoleons in his office that discriminate the people on such criteria.
Therefore, on behalf of Mr. Bong, I will officially write to the relevant authority to pursue this matter. It is his rights to have his roads tar-paved and no one can unjustly deprive him of such rights.
27-10-2020
Chong Chieng Jen
DAP Sarawak Chairman
