Who is YB Chong Jen to suggest Sarawak Government to use its reserves in time of Covid19 pandemic

I thank our friends from #DayakDaily who has interviewed me on the recent suggestion made by the opposition particularly Sarawak’s  #DAP chairman, YB Chong Chieng Jen on the existing  Movement Control Order or #MCO which have affected all of us including our local business communities.

In fact, #Sarawak would have plenty of money if both DAP secretary-general YB Lim Guan Eng and YB Chong have kept their promises in the election manifesto to pay our state what its dues such as 20 per cent oil royalty and returning to us the 50 per cent tax collected.

In pointing this out, I asserted that they both had failed to fulfill these promises when both of them were in the Federal Cabinet during the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government tenure.

If YB Chong and YB Lim have not lied to Sarawakians and have given to Sarawak what they had promised in their Election Manifesto and in the DUN assembly, i.e. oil and gas royalty to Sarawak be increased from 5 per cent to 20 per cent and 50 per cent of taxes collected from Sarawak be returned to Sarawak, I’m sure Sarawak Government now would have lots more money to assist Sarawakians including the SMEs.

YB Chong and YB Lim as Finance Minister were in the Federal government for two years and they have all opportunity to assist Sarawak and commit their pledges but they chose not to. In fact, YB Chong had lied to all Sarawakians by not fulfilling their election pledges.

And now YB Chong suddenly becomes very Sarawakian at heart again. It’s better for him to shut up at this trying time and let the new Federal Government and State Government address this global Covid-19 problem the way they think best.

I have asserted that the top priority now was to make sure the implementation of MCO would prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus. It’s a temporary measure. It’s only two weeks that the MCO is imposed and YB Chong is already saying many SMEs are going to close shop and go bankrupt. Don’t be rhetoric and politically over-sensationalising things. The government is not dishing out monies like Santa Claus. Lots of the perks and benefits are meant to reduce burden of entrepreneurs, SMEs and companies too.

Has YB Chong even bothered to check all this or is he trying to ride on that call by some SMEs and running down what the has done? Who is YB Chong to suggest that the State government use its reserves to assist SMEs due to MCO as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic when all of us have undertaken the measures to mitigate the current situation.