Chong labels SUPP’s manifesto for Stampin as ‘ridiculous, misleading’
KUCHING: Democratic Action Party (DAP) candidate for Stampin Chong Chieng Jen has described the Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Stampin manifesto as ‘really ridiculous and outright misleading, targeted to fool the people’.
He claimed that nearly 99 per cent of the pledges listed in the manifesto could be implemented by his opponent from Barisan Nasional (BN) Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian as he is the Local Government and Housing Minister.
He singled out the Batu Kawa Waterfront beautification project, saying it was promised by Dr Sim during the 2016 state election when the latter stood as a BN candidate for the Batu Kawah seat.
“Sim Kui Hian says that if he gets elected, he will implement the Batu Kawa Waterfront beautification project. One project is used for two elections.
“Some voters voted for him in 2016 for this project but it was not implemented. Now they promise it again. This is very typical in rural areas where they promise to provide lighting but the lamps will go without posts for the first election, and then posts without the wiring for the second election and finally the third election, they get it,” he told a press conference at the DAP headquarters here yesterday.
Chong, who is state DAP chairman, also showed a newspaper clipping dated April 29, 2008 which stated that the blueprint of the mentioned project was already approved 10 years ago.
“It has been approved by the state government. But eight years later, when he (Dr Sim) contested in Batu Kawah, he said he would do it. Having won the election, nothing was done and now 2018 similar promise.”
He pointed out that besides being a state cabinet minister Dr Sim was also a senator, which would have enabled the latter to implement the projects listed in the manifesto.
“There is no necessity for him to hold voters of Stampin to ransom, that only if he gets elected, those projects will be carried out. It is his duty as a state minister to implement them,” he stressed.
Reading out some of the pledges in the manifesto – ‘Stimulate commercial and tourism, raise economic activities, build a new district administrative centre complex and implement a drainage masterplan’ – Chong said: “You (Dr Sim) can do all these given your portfolio as the Local Government (and Housing) Minister. And you’re using these projects that are supposed to be the job of your portfolio to entice people to vote for you as an MP”.
“He was a senator, and members of Dewan Negara and Dewan Rakyat share equal status. He has access to federal ministers and funds.
“If you have the intention to fight for additional funds, you could have easily said it in the Upper House. There is no need to give up (senatorship) and contest in the Lower House. Why didn’t he fight for those projects in the Upper House?” he added.