Debate on Budget 2008

Debate speech by Wong Ho Leng, ADUN for Bukit Assek, on the Supply (2008) Bill 2007 (the Budget) on 23rd November 2007

Tuan Speaker, I rise to debate on the Supply (2008) Bill, 2007 (the Budget).

I would bring forth the following issues:

1. Review Royalties from Oil and Gas

When Sarawak and Sabah joined to form Malaysia in 1963, the federal Government promised Sarawak and Sabah special privileges and autonomies contained in the Malaysia Agreement. Much of these privileges have been eroded over time and Sarawak has not been well looked after by the federal Government.

The federal allocation of RM4 billion for the implementation of development projects in the state can hardly be adequate. We lag behind Peninsular Malaysia in development despite the fact that our state is rich in resources and contributes most significantly to the federal coffer.

Sarawak and her people deserve better. Due to need for revenue, landowners in Sarawak will be asked to pay high premium when they apply to renew their titles.

Should the Government need more revenue, there is always a more legitimate place than digging deep into the pockets of the Sarawak people. We can demand the federal Government to review the oil and gas royalty. The present 5% royalty is too low. Even by doubling the amount, our revenue would have increased by another RM1,351 million.
The Agreement was entered into more than 30 years ago.

A review should be demanded when the oil price is high and before our oil reserve goes shallow.

Our country gains when international oil price increases. This is because our country is an oil exporter. An increase of US$1 per barrel will enable Malaysia to earn an extra RM250 million. Considering that about 1/3 of Malaysian oil comes from Sarawak, we must consider that we have a legitimate right to demand to review the outdated agreement between Sarawak and the federal Government.

In the previous sitting in this Dewan, we have heard from the Finance Minister II that there had been many rounds of negotiation and the state will continue to negotiate.

Recently, I read the Chief Minister as saying that Sarawak is happy with the 5% royalty. Should that be the case, one of the Ministers must be telling an untruth.

Were there negotiations to review or not, and what is the status of the negotiations? The Ministers must explain.

2. Sibu Congestion Surcharge

Inflation and price hikes are affecting the lives of all and sundry. The people are feeling the pinch throughout Sarawak.

Sibu people fare the worst here. Sibu is the only place in the world where because of congestion in the Port, the Rajang Port Authority (RPA), ship operators are charging consignees. Of course, the ultimate victims are the consumers.

The surcharge is RM200.00 for a 20 footer container and RM400.00 for a 40 footer container.

The culprit is the self acclaimed BN’s Wawasan Team in Sibu.

By notice dated 25th October, 2007, RPA informed that Sibu had experienced “some occasional congestions at its container yard”.

On 26th October, 2007, a Notice was placed by ship operators in local dailies that the “Sibu Congestion Surcharge” will be implemented “from 01 Nov. 2007 on all Sibu laden import containers following major delays experienced at Rajang Port”.

RPA Chairman was slow in admitting that the congestion was in fact major at the RPA.

The congestion at RPA is caused by (i) ineffective administration; (ii) insufficient space; (iii) insufficient serviceable cranes despite having been in operation from 1st Nov., 1970.

The story began a few years ago when the self acclaimed Wawasan Team of the Sibu SUPP thought it a good idea to broker that the No.4 Godown at RPA be let to the Sibu Chinese Chamber of Commerce for a pitiful rent of RM5,000 per month.

How the Wawasan Team had the power to cause the RPA to rent out the godown is everybody’s question.

Renting out a godown is not the core business of RPA.

Of course, the Wawasan Team will have 101 reasons to justify what they did. As a part of the Government, they have a good umbrella to shelter, but let it be assured that the truth is out there. Without letting out the No.4 Godown, the problem of space will not have occurred, bearing in mind that the No.4 Godown has more than 3000 square metres of floor space.

The Chairman of the Port and the self acclaimed Wawasan Team of the SUPP must be answerable. In letting out the Godown which resulted in the congestion, the Wawasan Team has proved that it does not have a Wawasan and the people in Sibu suffered.

There also lies the problem with appointing unsuitable men to lead bodies such as Port Authorities. That system of appointment along political line must be abolished.

It requires little intellect to know that congestion problem does not occur overnight. Hence, the sudden increase of throughput as mentioned by ADUN Pelawan is a mere excuse.

I wanted to find out more about the congestion problem but the ADUN Pelawan cum Chairman of RPA decided to avoid me on 13th November, 2007. He had neither the courage nor the responsibility to tell the people the truth.

That reminded me of the appointment which the Miri Port Authority still owed me. 6 ½ years ago, I had wanted to visit the Miri Port Authority. The Authority wrote back saying that they welcome my visit and they would inform me of a suitable time for visit. 6 ½ years later, the suitable time hasn’t come. What is there to hide?

Political leaders in the BN Government does not understand the plight of the people. Let me remind you, as politicians, try to have a heart for the people. A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world.

3. Education & Human Resources

No sustained development is possible without human resource development.

The best way to engineer human resource development is through education.

We have universities or campuses in Kuching, Bintulu, Mukah and Miri but Sibu has not a university, despite all the sweet talks of the Wawasan Team.

Sibu has a severe brain drain, caused because students who have gone for overseas education do not come back to serve. They see no future in Sibu under the Wawasan Team, a lot of them and their parents told me. They would rather migrate.

The Wawasan Team does not care that there is no university in Sibu. This is glaring from the speech of the Honourable Minister of Finance II in this august House on 27th Nov., 2007. He said that Miri has Curtin and Kuching has Swinburne, both Australian universities.

He said “Sarawak with its small population cannot have too many universities particularly Australian universities – two is enough, three could be disastrous”.

He then said: “We … decided to just consolidate with what we had in UCS …”.

They never look at the standard of UCS.

The stumbling block to Sibu having a university is the Wawasan Team. They are keen only to protect its college, the UCS, instead of letting people have more opportunities to receive university education.

The Wawasan Team promised Sibu that there would be a university in Sibu in 2003, that the University of South Australia (UNISA) would come here, and the students from UCS would become the university’s first batch of students.

With these sweet promises, soon after the announcement, many parents had sent their children to UCS in order that their children would become the pioneer students in the Sibu campus of UniSA. Yet, all these were lies. There was not a shadow of UniSA in Sibu. Even the UniSA said the announcement was not true.

Now, this Captain of the self acclaimed Wawasan Team had an excuse. He had the audacity to say “Two is enough, three could be disastrous.”

Why disastrous? How could receiving education from an Australian university campus in Sibu be disastrous? Or would it be disastrous to your UCS, that it may be forced to close shop if there is a university in Sibu?

The world is flat. Do not be afraid. If you are good, you survive. The lousy will have to close shop.

What a shame that the Wawasan Team has to stoop so low as to find the most flimsy of excuses over a naked untruth masterminded by themselves.

The point is this. You promised Sibu a University in 2003. Honour it. Like ADUN Pujut said, “Better Late than Never”.

Do not shun away from what you had promised. Nothing disastrous will befall Sibu if a 3rd Australian university is established in Sibu, except may be that UCS will run out of students. But if you are good, you survive.

You promised parents that the students in UCS will be the first students in UniSA in 2003, honour it. Or compensate them for not honouring your promise.

Do you know how many parents had complained that they felt cheated by the Wawasan Team?

If you care about Sibu, if you want to stop brain drain from Sibu, honour your promises of UniSA.

Is the Wawasan Team so satisfied with our Universities?

On 3rd Nov., 2007, in Sibu, the Honourable Minister of Finance II said that “there are good colleges and universities in the country to cater for the local population. There is no need to send our children abroad for further education”.

What are our good colleges and universities? How many of our Members and government officials send their children to local universities?

A government survey released in 3 Nov., 2007 has concluded that none of our universities are outstanding. Only one university - Universiti Sains Malaysia - made it into the second category of “Excellent” in the first ever university perception exercise in the country. It received a five-star ranking.

Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) were lumped in the “Good” category. They had four stars.

Our pride, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, was slotted in the “Satisfactory” category. That was the lowest category.

The 2007 Webometrics Ranking (WR) of 3,000 Premier Universities shows that our best university, USM, is ranked 1193 behind 8 Thai universities and 2 Indonesian universities, showing how serious had been the drop and decline of Malaysian universities standards for the past three decades even for the region of Southeast Asia.

Our pride, UniMAS, is nowhere near the 3000 ranking.

If our UniMAS only received such mediocre ranking, what about UCS? So, I am not jealous. Just look at your standard! Our Universities have this low quality and ranking. Surely, your college can’t be better!

Many parents have complained that their kids have to do their courses all over again because the course at UCS is not accredited in many countries?

The people support a university in Sibu, not the internal bickering of your Party at the expense of the rakyat.

With standards of our universities and colleges like this, how can Malaysia compete within the regional let alone global arena?

4. Development

Contrary to the accusation levelled against us by the BN, DAP is never against development, so long as the development is beneficial to the people.

Recently, the Chief Minister said Sarawak is to be a developed state by 2015. I welcome this.

But Sarawak cannot achieve this goal unless every sector of the society is given equal and balanced development. But how would equal development be possible in the event that the BN Government practised revengeful politics?

Many people are persecuted and sidelined because they did not vote the BN candidates.
How shameful it is that the BN is proving itself as a spiteful, revengeful and careless Government?

I can also give an example of Sibu. We are now the No. 3 town in Sarawak. In 1996, Sibu voters returned to this august House 2 representatives from the DAP. Since then, the BN leaders have been saying that “the Government has feelings”. The Honourable Finance Minister II and other leaders from the SUPP in Sibu had been reported many times in the press as saying that when 2 seats in Sibu were lost to the DAP in 1996, development stopped in Sibu for 2 years and the funds were channeled to elsewhere.

It was reported that the SUPP leaders said the Chief Minister was very angry and that was why the development were stopped in Sibu for 2 years.

According to the SUPP, the blame was on the Chief Minister. Had these SUPP leaders fought for the development of Sibu during these years? Or did they just “kowtow” to the Chief Minister’s anger?

If the Chief Minister could be so powerful that he alone could decide to stop development in Sibu for 2 years, then the CM was a dictator, and do not command the respect by the people of Sarawak.

The people in Sibu not only want fair treatment, but also want the Chief Minister to explain to this august House whether it was at his behest and instructions that development in Sibu was stopped for 2 years and funds were channeled to elsewhere.
If what was said by the SUPP of the CM was true, then the SUPP should also explain why they had allowed development projects to be stopped.

All voters, whether they vote for the BN or Opposition parties, are tax payers. They all contribute to the consolidated fund which are needed to develop the state. A foetus in the mother’s womb will start to pay tax because its mother has to seek medical attention throughout the months of gestation. From the time that he is born, he is paying tax through the milk that he takes apart from the very expensive nappies and other essential items. As a living being, he will pay tax through the parents or himself all the way until he has finished education. When he enters society, he pays tax from his income. When he dies, he pays tax too for the coffin which he lays in and the grave which will be his permanent home. Even long after his has been gone, the cemetry will be asked to pay tax to the local authorities.

In simple language, a person is taxed for everything before he is born and long after he is dead. That is why, everybody must be equally treated by the Government.

The 2008 Budget states that it is development biased. The Government must ensure that all races and regions in Sarawak stand to benefit equally.

5. Conversion of Title Condition

Some years ago, the state Government had required all the shipbuilders in Sibu to move their operations to the Rantau Panjang Industrial Zone. Either by force or otherwise, many shipbuilders have moved their operations there.

There were some who did not move but wait for their land titles to be converted from agriculture to shipbuilding usage. No one believed that they would get the conversion but some did get conversion recently.

I am not so much complaining about the Government converting title conditions in some meritorious cases. I am concerned that the Government must be consistent in its decision making process.

There is no reason to require all shipbuilders to move their operations to Rantau Panjang but at the same time convert the land title conditions of others, just because these others might have followed one of the Camps of the SUPP which has been involved in internal strife.

I have heard people saying that those aligned to the Camp led by Finance Minister II has yet to convert their title condition. Maybe they have followed the wrong Camp.

6. Politics: Advice to BN/SUPP

The DAP understands the plight of the people more than the BN/SUPP. Many people look at the SUPP as one of Sarawak’s Useless Political Parties.

For the DAP, we are able to gather popular support in our areas not because we are actors or Oscar award winners as accused by the member for Pelawan but we dare to tell the truth.

Puppets and yes men cannot speak the truth in this Dewan.

Do not be blind to the plight of the people. When DAP is doing a wonderful job, do not belittle us.

When valuables worth RM400,000 were taken from an Assistant Minister’s house, you could say “no sweat”, but not everybody is as rich. The people want us to tell the Government that land premium of 25% to 40% of the market price is way too high and not acceptable.

Have a heart for the people. They had supported you and given you the mandate to govern. Do not pull the plank after you have crossed the river.

If you have a heart for the people, you should consider their demand for unconditional and automatic renewal of land titles, without payment of premium.

Join us, to demand for good governance. Appreciate us, that we have an important role to play in an autocratic institution that is operating around us now.

We do not surrender just because we are a small number here. We are a group of people fighting for the people’s cause. We do not spend taxpayers’ money to engage in internal bickering.

To the SUPP, please spend time and energy for the people. Internal bickering does not benefit the people. The people are fed up with your division into Camp A and Camp B, with one camp trying to outdo one another to grab power, even to the extent of demanding that the signboard at Dudong branch be taken down.

In Chinese culture, it is taboo to dismantle a signboard out of spite or jealousy. Who is the actor of this Malaysian Hollywood movie? Because of your internal fight, you are even prepared to go against culture. You are leading a bad example for our children. Looks like your days are numbered.

You accuse us of being loud in this Dewan. Sometimes we have to. But let me tell you that when you use Government cars for private function and factional fights, the silent engines of the Mercedes Benzes are talking louder than us about your abuse of power. How can the people entrust their future to you?

Our job in here is to provide check and balance to the Government and the administration. We should not limit ourselves to the saying of “yeah yeah”. We support when Bills are good. We oppose when our conscience tells us.

Try to be not mere politicians, but statesmen, with conscience.

Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong. Well, these are the type of people who are calling the shots in our state.