‘Grass-cutting stopped because contractor used up funds by Oct’
KUCHING: Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Chong Chieng Jen said yesterday he was amused by the recent concerted ‘playacting’ by four persons, mostly Sarawak United Peoples’ Party ( SUPP) leaders and members, on grasscutting work along federal roads here.
He named the four persons as Padawan Municipal Council ( MPP) chairman Lo Khere Chiang, SUPP candidate for Padungan in the 2016 state election Peter Pau, SUPP Batu Kitang Youth secretary Leonard Tan and Chin Siaw Hong whose nickname is ‘ Hui Tai Lang’ on social media.
At a news conference, Chong, accompanied by his special assistant Abdul Aziz Isa, who was defeated by Lo in a fivecornered fight in Batu Kitang in the 2016 state election, gave an account of how the issue panned out.
According to the state Democratic Action Party ( DAP) chairman, Lo recently issued a statement alleging that the federal funds for maintaining federal roads had been reduced.
“I have checked with MoF ( Ministry of Finance). There is no cut in the allocation for maintaining the federal roads in 2018. It was the contractor awarded the grass- cutting project that finished off the allocation given for the one whole year, resulting in the predicament we face now.”
He alleged that the contractor finished the allocation within 10 months and that under the previous government more fund would be given.
“Now with the new government, we have to be more accountable,” he said at the state DAP headquarters here.
Chong said a stretch of Jalan Batu Kawa was overgrown with grass and hence he had requested Lo to arrange for the grass along the stretch to be cut but the MPP chairman did not respond to the request.
“Okay, fair enough, that it is federal road. But it is still within MPP area. It won’t use up much of your ( MPP) funds to cut the grass, which only needs to last until December and federal funds will come in from January next year.
“But Lo refused to do it. So I came up with my own money to engage two gardeners to cut the grass. This is for the safety and convenience of road users who are making u-turns there. It cost RM200 only and it was about one hour’s work.
“What’s so difficult with it, Lo? And he also issued another statement, calling for my resignation. He asked me to resign as the deputy minister because I failed to secure more funds. I took the initiative to do your job and yet you asked me to resign?”
He opined that the group of four had stretched his patience when Tan and Chin lodged reports with the Malaysian Anti- Corruption Commission ( MACC) on Friday regarding the matter.
“I’m really amused by the playacting staged by Lo Khere Chiang, Peter Pau, Leonard Tan and Hui Tai Lang or Chin Siaw Hong. Lo’s statement quoted a talikhidmat ( hotline) complaint lodged by a SUPP member. The complaint came from Peter Pau.”
Chong showed the press a copy of the record of complaint as well as the reply by state Public Works Department (JKR).
He read out the report filed by Pau: “The grass at the road site didn’t cut (sic) and the landscape plant not being trimmed. Our tourists had mention (sic) that look (sic) like we didn’t manage our town wisely, especially the road from airport to town center”.
He then read out the reply by the state JKR: “Kindly be informed that Airport Road is a federal road. FYI, as announced by Minister of Public (sic) Works in local daily newspaper, there was no allocation for grass cutting for the month of Nov and Dec throughout all the federal roads in Malaysia from federal government. Therefore, the grass cutting is expected to resume in January 2019 with the availability of fund from federal government.”
He said the most ironic part of it all was that the agency added “We trust that you are happy with our service and that we may close this call.”
“My goodness, when you start kicking the ball, only Peter Pau can be happy with the service because all of them are together in the drama. I’m totally disappointed with the attitude and KPI ( key performance indicator) of this agency.
“Leonard Tan and Hui Tai Lang are asking the MACC to investigate me. What do I have to do with the contract which was awarded before we took over as the new government? It (the work) has nothing to do with my ministry.
“The MoF feedback is that you have used up the funds. Hui Tai Lang ( Chin) even named four parties namely former prime minister and former finance minister ( Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak), current finance minister ( Lim Guan Eng), me and the contractor for the MACC to investigate.
“How about the state JKR? Should it not be investigated? The question is still, who awarded the project to the contractor?” pointed out Chong.
He said Lo should do things that need to be done under his council’s jurisdiction and that he has access to MPP workers who could easily get the grasscutting work done even without the federal funds.
“It is very petty of him not to do it. He has failed his duty by refusing to do what should be done in his MPP’s jurisdiction,” added Chong.
It is learnt that the federal government sets aside some RM800 million for the maintenance of federal roads nationwide every year.
The Kuching division is said to have 73km of federal roads which include Jalan Tun Jugah, Jalan Tun Razak, Jalan Airport, Jalan Batu Kawa and Jalan KuchingSerian.