MIRI – Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) leaders have defended the coalition’s move to provide money to churches and other religious bodies during the election campaigning period.
Incumbent Bukit Saban assemblyman Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas said such contributions are considered “development funds”.
“The funds are for repairs and upgrading of buildings for churches, temples and other places of worship.
“They are not for election purposes.
“How can Baru Bian (Parti Sarawak Bersatu presidential council member) accuse us of committing corruption ?” he asked during a function in Sibu last night.
Bian, who is PSB’s candidate for Ba’kelalan, had questioned why GPS continues to use its Unit for Other Religions (Unifor) under the chairmanship of Uggah to continue giving big sums of money to churches even during the campaign period.
He had said that such monetary handouts are acts of corruption.
Uggah said Unifor had given out RM185 million already for development funds even before the state election was called.
Several Sarawak native groups had reportedly called for a stop to giving cash handouts for election purposes.
These NGOs claim that monies are being dispensed freely to churches and other non-Muslim religious bodies in Sarawak to secure their votes ahead of the December 18 polling day.
Two such Facebook groups, namely, the pro-PSB Pemansang Sarawak Baru and pro-opposition Sarawak Memilih, had posted critical comments on their respective Facebook postings slamming Unifor for alleged hypocrisy in giving money to religious institutions in exchange for votes.
They want a stop to such acts by Unifor, which is headed by its chairman.
Uggah was deputy chief minister last term.
The Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB) deputy president is set to defend the Bukit Saban seat under GPS for the state election.
The Pemansang Sarawak Baru group had stated it is fine if Unifor channels funds to churches and other religious groups for good intentions, but if the funds are meant as means to fish for votes that such acts should be deemed as wrong.
The group was referring to recent remarks by former Sarawak Anglican Church bishop Datuk Bolly Lapok, who claimed that Unifor had given millions to Sarawak churches after he joined PSB recently.
“GPS, through Unifor, has been dishing out grants to non-Muslim houses of worship in Sarawak to build new structures and upgrade existing houses of worship.
“GPS may be dishing out these grants in exchange for our very valuable votes on the December 18 polling day.
“And indeed, Unifor is beginning to suspiciously look more and more like a component of GPS,” the group stated.
The group pointed out that money and grants should not be dispensed during election time.
“It (GPS) is doing that even when its status now is merely that of a caretaker government.
“A caretaker government, by the way, is not allowed to commit public money or government’s fund into things that do not fall within the ‘day-to-day’ operating expenses of the government.
“Sarawakians, be smart. Don’t let your vote be influenced by money,” the group added.
Uggah had also slammed Bolly for making outlandish claims against Unifor.
He said the allegations made by Bolly are not true and that the former bishop was merely seeking political publicity and grandstanding. – The Vibes, November 14, 2021
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