GPS-DAP trade barbs over RM30m flagpole

 

Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and DAP have been jabbing each other in public over the Sarawak government's plans to erect the country's tallest flagpole.

Although GPS and DAP are allies at the national level, GPS controls the Sarawak government while DAP sits on the opposition bench.

The 99m flagpole project has been described by the government as part of the ongoing efforts to beautify the Kuching waterfront.

However, since it came with an RM30-million price tag, DAP and online critics have said that the money could be better spent on public infrastructure.

Yesterday, Sarawak Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah (photo above, right) accused the opposition of opposing the project for political mileage.

He said the flagpole project would be financed by a private company as part of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) effort.

The identity of the company has not been revealed.

The erection of the flagpole, said Abdul Karim, was to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Sarawak's independence.

Abdul Karim said previous projects at the Kuching waterfront such as the Darul Hana Bridge and the musical fountain had received objections in the past as well, but are now being appreciated.

"Of course, I too would disagree with the flagpole if we did not have the money. But we must know how to appreciate beauty too.

"Therefore, not all money is for schools and hospitals. So, when we have the excess, there should be no problem for beautification," he said, according to Borneo Post.

According to Borneo Post, the flagpole will be located near the Sarawak legislative assembly building and will be four metres higher than the nation's current tallest flagpole at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur.

In a statement yesterday, Bandar Kuching MP Kelvin Yii (photo above, left) said legitimate questions on the flagpole should not be brushed aside as an "opposition agenda".

"The question that needs to be asked is why they feel this (flagpole) has to be built in the first place, over (taking care of) many other needs and burdens all around Sarawak, especially those that directly impact regular Sarawakians.

"This, in my view, is a clear misplace of priorities and a misplaced 'obsession of optics over substance'," he said.

‘Display accountability’

Yii said it was important for the Sarawak government to be transparent and display accountability on the cost of the project.

He said that in comparison, the tallest flagpole in the world in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, stood at 171m which cost around RM21 million.

"It is imperative for the government to be transparent and continue to hold accountability in this matter, including justifying the cost of the project itself, which is said to be RM30 million for a 99-metre flagpole.

"The fact of the matter is, it does not take a flagpole to remind us of the importance of our rights, or for us to be proud as Sarawakians," he said. - Mkini