Thursday 9 August 2018

Abdul Karim doubts PH govt will be able to fulfil all manifesto pledges within 100 days

August 9, 2018

KUCHING: The Pakatan Harapan (PH) government has seven more days to complete all the manifesto pledges which it promised to fulfil within the 100 days period of governance.

However, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) vice president Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah doubted that the PH federal government could do that in time as promised by PH in its election manifesto.

“Looking back, almost none of the pledges has been done in full,” he said.

Abdul Karim, who is also Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister, said practically all of the pledges in the PH election manifesto has not been fully fulfilled although it is almost 100 days since the May 9 general election.

He pointed out that the most glaring that has not been fulfilled is the pledge to provide Sarawak with the 20 per cent royalty for oil and gas (O&G).

“PH had pledged that this provision will be done within 100 days. Instead, PH leaders have twisted and turned the issue with different PH leaders giving different interpretations,” he said.

Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad defined the 20 per cent royalty as 20 per cent of nett profit from the proceeds of O&G extracted on Sarawak region while Sarawak opposition chairman Chong Chieng Jen defined it as the current five per cent royalty plus 20 per cent of the nett profit.

Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali said giving 20 per cent royalty to Sarawak will bankrupt the nation and plunder the nation oil Industry.

“It is glaring enough now that PH federal government is not able to commit to their various pledges and those pledges are only meant to entice and win votes from the general public in which they have succeeded.

“Voters have been hoodwinked into believing that they would have a better government but unfortunately that does not seem to be the case,” he said.

“Most of the PH-led Ministries have not settled down yet and also their (PH) Ministers’ role are more to find what are the faults and excesses done by the previous Ministers and government,” he claimed.

Abdul Karim said the only pledge which the PH government seemed to almost achieving was bringing Goods and Services Tax (GST) down from six per cent to zero per cent and which was almost equivalent to their pledge of abolishing GST.

However, he said unlike what was promised during the PH election campaign, the cost of living and price of essentials goods would most likely go up again with re-introduction of Sales and Services Tax (SST).

“Their campaign that prices of essential goods would go down if GST is abolished does not seem to be correct and turned out to be just a myth.

“Nothing seemed to go down in prices except for ‘shuttlecocks’ as what YB Chong claimed. Malaysian and Sarawakian voters seemed to be taken for a ride with all this bluff and lies from PH in their manifesto.

“My advice to them is: ‘Mesti cakap serupa Bikin’ (Must walk the talk). Do what you have pledged. Be responsible leaders and do not lie to the people,” said Abdul Karim.

PBB is one of the four components of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) fold. GPS is the state government in Sarawak but an opposition at federal government level. -TheBorneoPost
  

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