Differentiate between allocation and investment, Chong told
KUCHING: Gabungan Parti Sarawak ( GPS) parliamentary chief whip Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof has described DAP Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen as ‘ senseless’ for chiding the Sarawak government for getting involved in a children’s specialist hospital in Kuala Lumpur rather than focusing on the state’s poor healthcare services.
He said this is because the state government has always placed healthcare services under the responsibility of the federal government.
“Until the federal government agrees to give autonomy for healthcare services and education to Sarawak, why should the state take over the role? If Sarawak wants to take over the role, it is best if we are ‘ independent’ or not in Malaysia,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Chong on Sunday had asked the state government to explain to Sarawakians why it felt the need to invest state money in the children’s specialist hospital in the Peninsular while at the same time complaining about the poor healthcare services in the state.
He said it was unacceptable for them to collaborate with Zecon Medicare Sdn Bhd in the project given the fact that the developer had delayed in delivering the Petra Jaya Hospital project.
Fadillah, who is also Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu ( PBB) senior vice president, said Chong ought to be smarter in differentiating between allocation and investment.
“Allocation means funds which are provided to build and improve facilities without returns while investment is a process of investing money for profit.
“By equating allocation and investment together, this only indicated Chong’s inexperience and ignorance on f inancial management and the economy.”
On Chong’s statement that Sarawak should not remain an opposition state to avoid being left behind in terms of development and the channelling of welfare and benefits from the federal government to the people of Sarawak, Fadillah questioned why the Stampin MP did not call for Penang and Selangor to do the same when Barisan Nasional ( BN) was the ruling government.
“Now that the federal government has cut a lot of allocations for Sarawak is Chong going to fight for more allocations for the state? What is his priority – to be an ‘anak Sarawak’ and place Sarawak first or to serve as a deputy federal minister first ?”
The Petra Jaya MP noted that Sarawak is now a victim of the federal government’s policies.
“It is not wrong for the state government to invest in projects outside of Sarawak based on an investment approach that takes into account a strong Internal Rate of Return ( IRR).
“Sarawak needs to manage its funds responsibly including identifying the best performing investment. It is not wrong to invest in such a project if comprehensive and prudent financial management have been implemented,” he stressed.
On Chong questioning Zecon’s involvement in the project, Fadillah pointed out that the state government had explained this in the State Legislative Assembly ( DUN) sitting last July.
“Second Finance Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh had said that the state government’s decision to acquire equity interest in Zecon Medicare Sdn Bhd is a commercial consideration based on positive investment returns.
“The state government’s decision to invest in Zecon Medicare has undergone a detailed and reasonable risk analysis process. Professional financial business consultants and corporate lawyers were also involved in helping in analysing and achieving riskreturn investment profiles.”
He said Chong, being part of the Pakatan Harapan ( PH) federal government, ought to promote new investment projects in Sarawak that could be jointly explored by both governments, rather than to keep harping on existing investments.
“The process of investment by the state government was carried out transparently and with nothing to hide. Chong should focus on efforts to ease the burden of the people by ensuring that the prices of goods would not continue to rise, rather than intentionally wade through murky waters to find materials to deliberately bully Sarawak.”