CM says his promises not just ‘hot air’, pledges to deliver

KUCHING: Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg has pledged to deliver the promises he has made since being sworn-in as the sixth Chief Minister of Sarawak this year.

Citing the proposed Light Rail Transit (LRT) system which had invited criticism from the opposition, he gave his assurances that he already has a formula to source funds to finance the proposed LRT project

“The opposition said it’s hot air and you just wait lah and see if it’s hot air or not,” he said during SUPP Kuching Branch’s 58th anniversary dinner at Pullman Hotel here on Saturday.

The Chief Minister also touched on the state government’s plan to redevelop the area where the Kuching Municipal Council (KMC) Flats are presently located.

According to him, the government wants to redevelop the area because the flats were built during the colonial era and his administration has new ways of developing the area.

He believed that a redevelopment project will give a new environment to that section of the city centre.

Abang Johari pointed out that it was the responsibility of a government to initiate efforts to help the people, and that he would do his best to transform Sarawak similar to what the first Prime Minister of Singapore, the late Lee Kuan Yew, had done for Singapore.

“Lee Kuan Yew transformed Singapore from a swampy and muddy island into what it is today. We also want to transform Sarawak into an advanced state in Malaysia by 2030.”

Abang Johari, who is State Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman, also urged all BN component parties to stick together to safeguard the interest of Sarawak.

“I’m learning from Deng Xiaoping (Chinese revolutionary and statesman), who had a famous quote that it doesn’t matter if a cat is black or white for as long as it catches mice.

“We, PBB, SUPP, PRS and PDP must be together. Political cohesion must be there so that we work together to look after Sarawak ourselves, and Umno can look after their own side.

“We do not need people from outside Sarawak to look after Sarawak because PBB, SUPP, PRS and PDP can look after Sarawak,” he said.