Reveal details of Sarawak govt debt, urges DAP’s Chong

State DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen says the state government is the custodian of public funds and must be fully accountable to the public.

Sarawak DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen took a swipe at Sarawak premier Abang Johari Openg for making an analogy to a family taking out a car loan.

PETALING JAYA:

 Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen has called on the Sarawak government to disclose the state’s full financial obligations, including its total debt, annual loan repayments and interest payable.

“Why is the state government so secretive about how much the Sarawak government is paying for the debts every year, including interest and loan repayment instalments?” he said, Dayak Daily reported.

Chong said the Sarawak government had increased land renewal premiums through rezoning, raised assessment rates, increased water bills, and introduced new charges over the past few years, making financial transparency even more critical.

The Padungan assemblyman said the Gabungan Parti Sarawak government must remember that it is only the custodian of public funds, and must be fully accountable to the public.

Chong also criticised Sarawak premier Abang Johari Openg’s recent analogy comparing the state’s borrowing to a family purchasing a car on loan. “Even for a family to buy a car, one needs to know how much is the interest payable and the amount of monthly instalments,” he said.

The state DAP chief said Abang Johari had sidestepped the fundamental issue of financial transparency.

“The GPS government should not adopt such an arrogant stand as to refuse to tell the people how much in total the state government is borrowing, the annual repayment amount, and the amount of interest on the loans.” - FMT