Many projects cancelled in S'wak – Wan Junaidi
KUCHING: Santubong MP Dato Sri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar regrets that Pakatan Harapan federal government has cancelled many development projects worth RM486 million meant for Sarawak.
He said those projects were planned and approved by his former ministry for implemention for two years until next year.
"But due to the political games, these RM486 million worth of development projects were cancelled, with the new government citing the enormous national debt as the reason," he said when handing out grants totalling RM110,000 to various organisations in Pantai Damai and Demak Laut at his parliamentary service centre, off Jalan Kulas here, yesterday.
Wan Junaidi added that flood mitigation projects valued at RM250 million for Kuching and Sibu had also been called off for the same reason.
"The (former) ministry approved RM150 million to mitigate flood problems in Kuching and RM100 million for Sibu.
"With the new government proving the point, they cancelled all Barisan Nasional (BN) projects. When people ask me about those projects, I do not know how to answer them," he said.
He added that Sarawak was going to have its own political coalition - Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) – without any connection with Peninsula-based coalitions.
He believed that GPS, under the leadership of Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg, would continue to defend the rights of Sarawakians.
"We want our rights enshrined under Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and the Federal Constitution, to be given back to us."
Wan Junaidi said Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) would be holding a roadshow to explain to its members about Sarawak's rights under MA63 and the Federal Constitution.
He claimed that he was the first former BN MP from Sarawak to have objected to several laws passed in Parliament many years ago, which had eroded Sarawak's rights.
He also defended former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak as a better national leader given his 61time visits to Sarawak during his nine-year premiership.