Kuching: The Sarawak State Budget 2026 debate heated up when Padungan Assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen unleashed a blistering critique, calling out a stalled village project, the near-absence of women leaders in local councils, and payment delays that are pushing contractors to the brink.
Chong revealed that he had secured an allocation of about RM100,000 from the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) earlier this year to upgrade the Kampong Bumbok football field.
He added that the Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) was appointed to carry out the project.
“But just as the funds were about to be released, an MPP officer allegedly informed KBS that the council no longer wished to implement the project.
“With this sudden U-turn, the people of Kampong Bumbok lose out. The money is approved, but nothing gets done,” he said, demanding answers as to why MPP abandoned a ready-to-roll community project.
Gender imbalance still stark: “Only one woman at the top”
The DAP Sarawak Chairman and Stampin MP also drew attention to Sarawak’s poor representation of women in leadership positions at the local government level.
“Out of three city administrations, four municipal councils, and 22 district offices statewide, only one is currently headed by a woman,” he said.
He stressed that this is far below the expectations set by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.
“Sarawak can do better. We must do better,” he said, urging the state government to appoint more capable women to leadership posts in councils and district offices.
Contractors left hanging: “You want the horse to run, but you don’t feed it grass”
On the construction front, he criticised the government over payment delays that he said have become “the norm rather than the exception.”
Many contractors, he noted, wait between six months and a year to receive payment for completed works.
“How can the government expect contractors to keep working when payments don’t come? It’s like wanting the horse to run but refusing to feed it grass,” he remarked.
He highlighted the case of Embun Pelangi Sdn Bhd, where the Public Works Department (JKR) allegedly failed to pay a deposit of less than RM50,000 for arbitration proceedings for more than two years. This issue raises concerns about potential liquidity issues within the state administration.
He called on the government to clear all outstanding payments and ensure timely disbursements so that contractors can continue delivering vital public projects without financial strain.
