SANDAKAN POLLS | Lim Guan Eng kicked off DAP's campaign for the Sandakan by-election yesterday by briefing voters on the local development plan in the works.
But when touching on the planned extension for the Sandakan Airport, the DAP secretary-general was careful to not announce when the project would commence, saying that now is not the time to "invite trouble."
"The entire airport upgrade project will cost RM80.9 million. It is approved," he said in his party's first ceramah of the campaign.
"RM20 million will be spent on this project alone this year. We hope the construction will start next month."
However, Lim immediately walked back the statement, telling the nearly 500-strong crowd gathered in SM Yu Yuan that he was worried about running afoul of the Election Offences Act 1954.
"But this is not good. Then I'll get in trouble with the Election Commission. It's better if I don't say it (the project) will start next month. It's better to say it's within the year.
"Otherwise, I may invite trouble. It's ok for me to get in trouble. But I don't want to get (DAP candidate) Vivian Wong in trouble.
"I don't want to say when it will start. Let's just say this year, OK? We don't want to break the Election Offences Act," he said.
Lim insisted that should Wong be elected on May 11, the responsibility will fall on her to ensure that the Sandakan Airport extension project is up to standard.
Electricity upgrade in the budget
Remembering that the coastal town faced frequent blackouts during a previous visit, the finance minister said that even locals joked that those who have never experienced a blackout have not really experienced Sandakan.
He read out a report from his ministry which stated that Putrajaya allocated RM238 million for three electrical supply systems in Sandakan to solve the problem.
“The project is still ongoing. The MP must oversee it. If the MP is not her (Wong), I don't know what to do. The project was approved in the 2019 Budget.”
On the Duchess of Kent hospital, Lim pointed out that Putrajaya allocated RM1.63 million and RM8 million respectively for lift repairs and the constuction of a new building.
'No new thing'
Lim later told reporters that none of the projects mentioned in his ceramah are new, and that all were contained in the 2019 Budget.
"I already said that the projects were announced in the 2019 Budget, so there is nothing new.
"I even said that to avoid any misinterpretation, the airport project would not be (commenced) next month. So there is no misinterpretation. But it will be done in this year lah."
Pakatan Harapan tabled its first federal budget last November.
Five days before the nomination day for the Sandakan polls, Lim had pointed out that RM183 million was approved for 49 local development in 2019. The total worth of the projects, upon completion, will be RM2.28 billion.
The Sandakan by-election was called following the death of Wong's father, Stephen, on March 28.
Wong will face off against Parti Bersatu Sabah's Linda Tsen, and three independents – Hamzah Abdullah, Chia Siew Yong and Sulaiman Abdul Samad. - Mkini
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