CM: Pakatan Harapan's manifesto mere hot air

KOTA SAMARAHAN: State Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg opines that the Pakatan Harapan (PH) election manifesto on taxation and public revenues does not carry any weight.

The Chief Minister said it would make no sense for Sarawakians to buy the opposition manifesto particularly given the fact that national PH chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad did not do much for Sarawak during his 22year tenure as prime minister from 1981.

"They talk about giving 50 per cent of revenues collected in Sarawak back to us, and 20 per cent of oil and gas royalties to Sarawak.

"He was the prime minister for 22 years, and he did not give us what he promises. What makes you think that he is going to fulfil the promises which he did not even come up with when he was in office?" remarked Abang Johari when closing the Certificate of Rural Administration course at the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) campus here yesterday.

He mentioned that Dr Mahathir had commented that Sarawakians were 'slow and lazy'.

"What do you mean by lazy? Some Sarawakians even went all the way to the Middle East to further studies in Petroleum Engineering.

"He said we are lazy. Well, he himself is lazy because he never even bothered to visit Sarawak during his 22 years in office. Who is lazier now?"

Abang Johari pointed out that the former prime minister did not even have the intention to construct Pan Borneo Highway, a mega project which is being implemented under the leadership of present Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

"I bet he (Dr Mahathir) did not think of implementing Pan Borneo Highway for Sarawak," he said.

As such Abang Johari called upon voters in Sarawak to be mindful of whom they will vote for come May 9.

"This is not campaigning but I just want to remind you all," he stressed.

He said Najib, at the launch of BN election manifesto last Saturday night, had pledged to "give Sarawak's rights back to us".

He quickly added that the state government would also continue to fight for Sarawak's autonomy.