PH a great disappointment in 2019, says Nancy Shukri

PBB lawmaker Nancy Shukri says no one seems to care where the economy is heading, with the government’s misplaced focus on who is to be the next prime minister.

PETALING JAYA: Batang Sadong MP Nancy Shukri today said Sarawakians are not the only ones disenchanted with Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) policies in 2019.

”While 2018 was indeed the year PH over-promised, 2019 is the year PH under-delivered.

“Looking back at 2019, it is not just Sarawakians who grew weary and tired of the PH government.

“Their style of politicking does not go down well with our West Malaysian counterparts as well. They have grown tired of PH and have vented their frustration in recent by-elections,” said the PBB lawmaker.

Nancy expressed her “disappointment” with sex scandals, U-turns, dirty politics and infighting which plagued the ruling coalition throughout the year.

In a New Year message to “friends, relatives and fellow Malaysians”, Nancy said the latest in the government’s string of U-turns was the reconsideration of its earlier decision to abolish the critical service allowance for doctors, nurses, engineers and other professionals in the civil service.

She said the PH government had also gone against its own manifesto “to elect one of its own” as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief.

“There were sex scandals involving prominent party leaders, government ministers with fake degrees, no sight of any development of flying cars, and we have yet to see any promises fulfilled from the RM1 billion allocation for the implementation of various projects.

“What we do see instead is the infighting.

“The biggest problem right now with the government is their misplaced focus on who is to be the next prime minister.

“No one seems to care where the economy is heading and, more importantly, how much the rakyat is suffering from their mismanagement of the economy.”

She said the silver lining was the launching of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) — a coalition of former Barisan Nasional parties — in early January.

She said being the third-largest bloc in Parliament, GPS was playing the role of kingmaker, giving examples of this.

For instance, she said GPS backed the amendment to lower the voting age to 18 because “our conditions were met and it included automatic registration as part of the reform bill”.

“On Jan 1, 2019, Sarawak imposed a state sales tax of 5% on all petroleum-related products. All oil companies operating in Sarawak have dutifully paid up, with the exception of Petronas.

“I fail to understand what makes Petronas so unique that it refuses to pay what is rightfully taken from Sarawak.

“My colleagues and I in GPS fully support the move by the state government to sue Petronas for what is due to Sarawak.

“We have also not forgotten about the 20% oil royalty that Sarawak PH has promised to us Sarawakians when they took over the federal government.

“It has already been nearly two years and yet Sarawak PH has been suspiciously silent about it.”

Instead, she said, the Sarawak government had been asked to purchase a stake in Petronas.

“So, in other words, we have been asked to give money to the federal government for a small percentage in a company that refuses to pay us our sales tax. This must be the best joke of 2019 for Sarawakians.

“Again and again, our rights and interests are being greatly challenged and taken for granted. Building a stronger Sarawak demands that we strengthen the precious union between all communities in Sarawak.”

She also spoke about how non-Muslim and Muslim communities in Sarawak have always lived in harmony. This was among the state’s biggest assets, she added.

Nancy noted that the state government had increased allocations for religions other than Islam to RM30 million in 2019.

“As the Batang Sadong MP, I asked for money to be allocated from this fund for the building of a church in Kg Tengelam, which I officiated a month ago.

“This was truly a proud moment for the folks at Kg Tengelam and for the state government as this was the first church to be built in that area.”

She said Christians in Kg Tengelam were able to celebrate Christmas “in the comfort of their new church”.

Nancy said the state government had approved a further RM50 million for this fund in 2020.

She promised to continue fighting for the rights of Sarawakians in 2020. - FMT