SARAWAK Pakatan Harapan (PH) said the Finance Ministry (MOF) has disbursed the RM100 million that Putrajaya promised to Sarawak for the repair of its dilapidated clinics and schools, despite Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian’s claim that the money had not arrived.
Sarawak PH chairman Chong Chien Jen said the Finance Ministry had confirmed in a written reply in Dewan Rakyat that the RM100 million had been given to the Sarawak Public Works Department (JKR).
“I had raised the query to the MOF. The MOF said it had distributed all the RM100 million to Sarawak JKR.
“RM50 million is for the repair of schools and the other RM50 mil for repair of clinics.
“I raised the matter direct to the MOF. It will be good for the SUPP (Sarawak United Peoples’ Party) to check thoroughly and directly with the MOF in Putrajaya too,” Chong said in a statement.
During a SUPP function last week, Dr Sim said Sarawak could not proceed with renovating schools and clinics since the RM100 million promised by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had not been disbursed to it.
On June 24, it was announced that the federal Finance Ministry had allotted RM100 million to the Sarawak state government to carry out urgent repairs of government-built schools and clinics.
State Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Seri Roland Sagah said then that his ministry was already drawing up a list of badly dilapidated schools needing immediate repairs.
“The RM100 million from the federal Finance Ministry was approved by the Prime Minister.
“We will use the funds based on priority needs. However, the funds will be for government schools first.
“For missionary schools and private schools, we will use state funds from the Unit for Other Religions,” he had said when attending a community event in Bau district in southern Sarawak.
On November 27 last year, it was reported that there were still 461 schools in Sarawak that were categorised as severely dilapidated and in need of restoration.
Earlier, 198 dilapidated ones had been completely repaired while 309 were currently undergoing renovation.
Sagah then told the state legislative assembly that repairs to schools in bad shape were being carried out by both federal and state ministries.
“The 309 undergoing works now are in various stages of reconstruction.
“The 461 awaiting reconstructions are in the most serious category of deterioration and plans for their repair are being drawn up.” – July 25, 2024.
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