Speech by Chiew Chiu Sing ADUN N 68 Tanjong Batu on the debate of the Supply Bill 2020 , on 7th Nov 2019 in the Sarawak State Legislative Council, Kuching, Sarawak.
Mr. Speaker,
Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to participate in the debate on the Supply Bill 2020.
Mr Speaker,
This is the 18 month that the Pakatan Harapan government had been the New Federal Government and a lot indeed had been achieved in such a short period of time. Some achievements are structural reforms while others are policy changes. The people of Malaysia in general are feeling the freshness and benefit of the change.
Allow me to highlight some of the reforms and achievements of the PH government. First of all we have made it now that the Prime Minister does not hold the Finance Minister post any more. Then we have appointed Non Muslim and a woman to be the Chief Justice of the country. Also a Non Muslims was appointed to be the Attorney General. These had not happened before.
The off balance sheet budgeting practice had also been scraped and open tender system had been reinstated. Government’a review on the mega projects by the precious government had saved the country tens of billions of Ringgit while tracking down the money trail of the !MDB fund being embezzled we have got back 1.45 billion ringgit and more are to come.
Our fight against corruption continues and as of now 8 prominent personnel had been investigated and some prosecuted. We have made it a requirement now that elected representatives and Ministers must declared their assets making it accountable to public scrutiny.
GST had also been abolished while full refund of RM 37 billion in GST and income tax wrongfully withheld by the previous government had been completed. Inflation rate had been kept below 1 percent for the past 17 months while GDP growth for the first and second half of 2019 were 4.5% and 4.9%. Approved FDI also rose by 97% in the first half of 2019 to RM49.5 billion as compared to that of 2018 which was only 25.1 billion. All these are helping our businesses to grow and carry on without extra burden !
More over, our RON95 petrol and diesel prices had stabilized at 2.08/litre and 2.18/litre respectively for the past one year easing off the burden for everyone of us and especially the lower income group. If the former government were to continue governing, and with their free floating price mechanism, RON 95 petrol and diesel would be around RM2.30 to RM 2.50 per liter. That would really really be burdensome to our people.
Of course then there is the increased budgetary allocations for Chinese schools and the huge allocation for the repair and upgrading of the dilapidated schools in Sarawak.
Under the PH Federal Government, Sarawak gets the largest allocation of development fund in the 2020 Budget as compared to all the past years when BN was the Federal Government. This time, Health and Education Ministry get the biggest budget in the history of Malaysia.
Last year the PH government provide free healthcare protection scheme, PeKa B40, to the low-income B40 BSH recipients, aged 50 years old and above, it includes up to RM20,000 worth of medical services.
In 2020, the benefit will be extended to those B40 BSH recipients aged 40 and above. In addition, there is also the free MySalam Takaful insurance program for the B40. And in the year 2020, all those earning below RM100,000 annual income will also be covered by the MySalam Takaful program. And this year, for the first time in our history, we are providing free pneumococcal vaccination to babies (approximately RM1,200 per child in private) that could eventually save 500-700 lives a year.
Soon the Independent Police Complaint and Misconduct Bill (IPCMC) bill will be introduced in Parliament. The bill, once implemented will have a great impact to improve the professionalism, integrity and credibility of our Police Force. Another bill that is in the pipe line is the Parliament Services Act which when passed will make Parliament an independent body of our democratic system and not have to be under the Prime Minister’s Department.
All these and many other others will frog leap our country forward and accomplish even more for us, we should all support and work together for a better Malaysia and not to go on to manufacture fake news, twisted news, hate news and lies that could only destroy us.
Mr. Speaker,
The level of the land for Lot 438 Kemena Land District is the same level as the bottom of the drain of the New Pan Borneo Highway near Junction 5, opposite the Time Square Mall, Jalan Tun Hussein Onn, Bintulu. A small factory there bears the name Pau’s Timber Trading Co.
The top of the drain is about 4 foot from the bottom of the drain, meaning that, when the Pan Borneo Highway is completed the road surface will be 6 feet higher than lot 438. So, how is the water from the lot 438 which is 4 foot lower going to flow away, as it is the same level with the bottom of the drain.
I have been to the site and talked to the contractor and the land owner and we concluded that perhaps the drain when entering lot 438 need to be dug lower so that water from his land can flow into the drain. But that would involve the local authority as digging lower could hit into something and the local authority need to give permission to this for them to do so.
I urge that all those involved to look into this matter quickly and solve the problem as the land owner had enough of waist high water flooding on his lot every time when it rains heavier. His family and businesses are all living there and he could not stand to suffer like this any more, because someone is too busy to look into this matter and help him.
Mr. Speaker,
The road linking the Kidurong Road to Jalan Tun Haji Openg, or more popularly known as the Daiken road, where companies like Air Marine, Habour, and shell are at, is experiencing floods every time when it rains a little heavier.
When the road is flooded, so the company yards are also flooded, especially when the rain fall slightly heavier. Because of the flood the company are suffering losses.
It has in fact been like that for quite some years already, but the problem till now is not solved. It was suspected that the land on the Shell Gas Station side is higher thus the water flows over to the Daiken side. Plus the drain on the Air Marine/ Harbour side could not carry the water away fast enough and thus overflowing.
This could be also because of the constriction, further down the drain, just before the drain discharge into the big earth drain, the culvert there is too small and zig zagging, thus slowing down the flow and then the flooding.
Another thing is the sever jam on this link road at peak hours, what use to take 15 minutes to reach Tanjong Batu, could take more than one hour !!
I urge that the authority to look seriously into these problems, the flooding and the jam, and help the folks there to solve these problems once and for all.
Mr. Speaker,
On the 8th and 9th of October, for two days in a row, 4 Sesco sub stations in the old town’s New Commercial Centre, at Sibiew road, Parkcity Commerce Square and BDA Shahida Commercial Centre were robbed of its high tension cables in the sub station!! As a result, hundreds of homers in these affected area experience unstable electricity supply and many electrical appliances were damaged, losses were huge and who should bear all the losses.
How could anyone get into a sub station in the first place. These are highly security areas and what kind of security measures are in place to curb thieves like these.
I had also seen the path ways along the shores of the Everly hotel, even the underground cables of the street lighting along the path way were being dug up, cut up and gone !
One logistic company at the Daiken road area in Kidurong, also complained to me of his lorries’ batteries in his yard, a few of them were being stolen together with other old lorry engine parts and it happened a few nights in a row towards the end of September. His losses were huge also.
All these thefts that I mentioned above links to the yards of the scrape metals companies and I hope that this kind of theft can be stopped also, stealing, crimes, drugs and others had to be kept to the minimal.
Mr. Speaker,
Last year, some time mid year, I had written to the Deputy Minister of Education explaining to her about the need for a secondary school at the Residential area outside of the Samalaju industrial park, in Bintulu.
This is because a school there would help to hold back the workers from Bintulu working in Samalaju and also provide education for those working in Samalaju. Right now many of these workers are commuting between Samalaju and Bintulu and they are not moving up to live in Samalaju because they is no school there for their children to go to. They would make Samalaju their home if there is a school. I believe with them staying around in Samalaju and their families also, Samalaju would further develop. A township in that area would spring up in no time as other amenities like Hospital and other facilities come in. People can work there and live there as well as no body really like to travel 2 hours each day to and from Bintulu just to work.
The Federal Minister replied me and asked that I write to the State Eduction office of get their consent first. That I did right that, but until today I have not got a reply from them.
The need for the school is going more and more dire as Samalaju Industrial Estate moves forward. They are people in the private sectors who are willing to work together to build the school. So, I would there fore be most grateful if the state government would agree to this. If so, what is the status of the plan at this moment.
Mr. Speaker,
About 45 shop lot owners of Commerce Square Mall at the Parkcity had been asked to pay the assessment fee for the units which they have bought. Some been served with summons demanding for payment by the Authority.
This is a new mall in Parkcity Bintulu and BDA is asking them to pay the 3 years arrears for the assessment amounting to over RM10,000 per unit which they have not paid and some more a late payment fee of over RM9000.
We all know by right they should pay the assesment fee, but Mr. Speaker the problem is that these shops units which cost about half a million are semi underground lots and not suitable for opening up to do business.
The perimeter road outside which is supposed to be a meter from the ground is higher, plus if a car is parked on the road outside the shops, one would not be able to see the shops and people inside the shops cannot see outside, as if there are no shops there ! Customers walk away. How could then any business be able to operate and survive when they are semi underground and people cannot see them ?
Shop owners there told me that there had been several amendments to the architecture building plans making the front of the unit to become the back, plus other changes, and now even loading and unloading into the shop cannot be done because the underground ceiling is too low and the outside road is too high up.
So since the start of the issuance of the OP out of 45 shops only about 4 or 5 had moved in, the rest had been vacant for three years since then. The shop owners are therefore asking that the hefty fee as mentioned above, which BDA is asking them to pay, be waived off and the summon with drawn.
Mr. Speaker,
The Monsoon Drain right outside of houses near House N0. 131 along Jalan Allamanda 3 off Jalan Tun Hussein One on the Jade Garden Side need to be covered up with proper concrete cover.
This is because the monsoon drain which is just outside the Semi detached houses there measuring about 24 feet wide and 8 feet deep is too dangerous for the home owners living there especially when they have to drive across the drain from the road into their houses.
I mean who would ever design a monsoon drain 24 feet wide, just outside of your house and you have to drive over it for entrance to the house. This is wrong, it cannot be so. BDA had put pipe railing and a guard rail along the drain and railings on both sides of the drive way over the drain but it is still too dangerous indeed for the children, the elderly and even adults.
Couple of weeks ago a middle aged man went into the drain and could not get out, he slipped in there and bled and he could not get out ! Eventually the house owner came to his rescue and had to lower down a ladder for him to climb out ! So I hope that BDA would look into this immediately and rectify the problem for them.
I must thank BDA for put up the walkway there for school children to cross for going and coming back from school, how a cover up drain would not only reduce fear and panic but also secure safety for the school children.
Mr. Speaker,
The Softball players in Bintulu have requested for a proper training field. This is because the place where they are training on now is at the foot ball field of the Kelab Kidurong BDA which is becoming crowded because young footballers are playing there, frisbee people also practice there.
The Softball players are afraid that accidents could occur and then it would be too late. So now, they are afraid to go down to practice. This would really then be a lost of talents of these young people as many of them actually represent Sarawak for National competition.
I understand that they have been in touch with BDA but have not heard of any development for a while and if BDA could let us know what is the out come and if their request for a proper place to train would be made available.
Mr. Speaker,
During the last Sitting I brought up the issue of the opening up of the direct road going from Tg. Batu road to Marco Polo of BDA Shahida and a redesign of the Bintulu old town road. Honorable Minister for Local Government and Housing had answered me then that a consultant will be appointed to do a study of all these and will take five month. Could the Honorable Minister enlighten this August House the status and whether the road going straight from Tg. Batu road to Marco Polo is incorporated in the plan and whether the design when finished would be displayed for public viewing and comments.
Lastly, about the traffic lights at Taman Hill Villa, Jalan Sibiew, Honourable mInister for Local Government and Housing had in a written reply to me said that the traffic light there cannot be built because of the 2 kilo distance limit for erection of any traffic light for U turn. Mr. Speaker, if we look around, I think within the town vicinity the 2 km limit is not practical as we are seeing traffic lights for U turn being erected even in half kilo meter. The consideration had been and actually it is for when there is a need and consideration for safety then a traffic lights can be put up. Could the honorable Minister reconsider and build the traffic light with U turn at Taman Hill Villa, Jalan Sibiew.
There must be a crocodile swimming along the Tanjung Batu beach vicinity may be for a distance like a kilometer from the beach to the Tan Guan Mui gas station at Jalan Tanajon Batu road.
I must thank the Authoirty for putting up the signboard to warn the public. But We must understand how worried are the people staying or visiting the beach area. Thus it is the most fervent hope of the people that crocodile must be caught and put away immediately.
That is all Mr. speaker.
Thank you Sir.
