KUCHING, Nov 6 — Batu Kitang assemblyman YB Dato Ir. Lo Khere Chiang has defended the Sarawak Government’s decision to use its own money for development projects, saying it is because the Federal Government has been too slow to act.
In his statement, YB Lo said it is unfair for the Member for Padungan and other opposition leaders to criticise Sarawak whether the state spends or not. He added that these same leaders failed to bring in Federal funds even when they were part of the government in Putrajaya.
“Healthcare is a Federal duty,” he said. “But it is the Sarawak Government that is paying for the Sarawak Cancer Centre so that our people don’t have to travel to Kuala Lumpur for treatment. If the Member for Stampin and his friends are sincere, they should fight for Federal funds instead of asking Sarawakians to use our own savings again.”
He also pointed out the unfair treatment in public transport projects. “Penang’s LRT is fully paid by the Federal Government, but when Sarawak builds the ART system with our own money, they say it’s not needed. This is not right,” he said.
YB Lo also responded to claims that adding more DUN seats was a waste of money. He said those critics never speak up about Sarawak’s lack of fair Federal allocations, even though Sarawak is large, contributes a lot to the country, and has many rural areas that need development.
“The Sarawak Government spends because we cannot wait,” he stressed. “Cancer patients cannot wait. Rural families cannot wait. Our students and our children’s future cannot wait.”
His message was clear — Sarawak is taking care of its people while waiting for long-delayed Federal support.
