Kuching: Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong has urged Deputy Premier Dr Sim Kui Hian to set aside political differences and support proposals that benefit the people, regardless of which party they come from.
Yong was responding to Dr Sim’s remarks, objecting to a proposal by DAP Sarawak Chairman Chong Chieng Jen for the Sarawak Government to build state-owned private hospitals managed with private-sector efficiency but charging public hospital fees.
“Dr Sim should stop objecting for the sake of objecting. When an idea is good for the people, it deserves support regardless of which party proposes it,” Yong said in a statement.
She described Chong’s proposal as a “practical and people-centric” initiative aimed at easing overcrowded wards, addressing specialist shortages, and reducing long waiting times in Sarawak’s public hospitals.
Yong criticised what she called the GPS government’s tendency to dismiss opposition proposals out of partisan bias.
She pointed out that a similar situation occurred in 2015, when DAP Sarawak’s proposal for English-medium state-owned private schools was initially rejected by the then BN-led state government but later implemented under GPS.
“History is repeating itself,” she said, adding that the state should show maturity and political will to study and adopt ideas that benefit Sarawakians.
Yong also questioned Dr Sim’s justification that building such hospitals would be too costly, noting that the state had allocated over RM6 billion for the Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) project.
“If the Sarawak Government can spend billions on an unproven ART project, surely it can invest in hospitals that save lives. The issue is not lack of funds but misplaced priorities,” she said.
She added that healthcare should take precedence over prestige projects, saying, “No fancy transport system can compensate for a broken healthcare system.”
Yong further said it was ironic that GPS leaders often boast of Sarawak’s wealth and growing reserves, yet reject policies that directly improve healthcare access for citizens.
“If Sarawak is truly rich, there is no excuse not to adopt YB Chong’s proposal for state-owned hospitals that deliver private-quality healthcare at public hospital rates,” she said.
Yong concluded that the proposal represented a forward-looking and compassionate policy that would test the sincerity of GPS leaders in using the state’s wealth for the benefit of all Sarawakians.
