GPS Youth calls for end to blame game on dilapidated schools

KUCHING: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) Youth has called for an end to finger-pointing on the issue of dilapidated schools.

In a joint statement signed by the Youth chairmen of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday, GPS Youth called Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik’s comparing dilapidated schools in Sarawak to those in his hometown 40 years ago ‘unfair and insulting’.

The statement said while GPS Youth welcomed Maszlee’s proposal to seriously repair, rebuild and/or upgrade dilapidated schools and his intention to work very closely with the Sarawak government, the movement slammed him for saying two primary schools in Bintulu that he visited on Saturday reminded him of schools in his hometown of Skudai Kiri, Johor in the 1970s and 1980s.

GPS Youth pointed out that Sarawak is the size of the whole of Peninsular Malaysia while Maszlee’s hometown is tiny in comparison, adding the minister appeared naive as he did not seem to know that the predicament of Sarawakians is due to ‘Malayan Imperialists’.

On the minister’s statement that he wanted Sarawak to reduce politicking, GPS Youth said this was laughable because Maszlee’s own statement was politically calculated to point fingers at the Sarawak government.

GPS Youth reminded Maszlee that matters surrounding education come under the purview and jurisdiction of the federal government, adding that three current Pakatan Harapan ( PH) leaders were all previously Education Minister — Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia ( Bersatu) president and Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad (1974 to 1978), Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (1986 to 1991), as well as Bersatu deputy president and Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin ( 2009 to 2013 and 2013 to 2015).

“Pointing fingers should now stop if all want to move forward in overcoming the issues on dilapidated schools in Sarawak. Schools are platforms to produce future national leaders. As all of the dilapidated schools are aged around 30 to 40 years old, now it is time to rebuild and/or upgrade them. The issue should have not been politicised. When the Sarawak government expressed its desire in countering the issue, the state leaders are not politicising it but only serious in wanting to see these schools rebuilt or upgraded for the sake of educational development in the state,” said the statement.

“If the federal government wants to see Sarawak having autonomy in educational development in particular, then the federal government must return the rights of the state over ownership of oil and gas in Sarawak territory wholly.”

The statement also pointed out that the previous Barisan Nasional ( BN) government approved RM2.5 billion to repair and upgrade dilapidated schools in 2018 and 2019 — RM1 billion for Sarawak, RM1 billion for Sabah, and RM500 million for Peninsular Malaysia.

Prior to this year’s general election, the BN government also allocated RM419.05 million to repair and rebuild dilapidated schools in Sarawak.

Work on 50 schools came under the Public Works Department at a cost of RM138.45 million, while another 66 schools came under the Education Ministry at a cost of RM280.6 million.

Another 17 dilapidated schools are pending completion.

The balance of the RM581 million allocation for this purpose would be brought forward to next year.