Abang Johari Tun Openg must tell Sarawakians how much is the State Reserves now, said Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) president Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh….
“He (Abang Johari) has to let us know how much is our State Reserves now. Also, how much Sarawak government owes to others either in the forms of bonds, loans or other commitments?
“How much money has the state government given to DBoS and how is DBoS doing in terms of managing the funds? Because DBoS cannot raise funds from outside the government and the money must come from the State Reserves,” he told a press conference at PSB Bawang Assan Branch here today…
He noted that See Hua Daily News quoted Abang Johari as saying that the State Budget 2023, which he will table after the 15th general election (GE15), would see the state’s revenue estimates exceeding RM10 billion…
He observed that Deputy Premier Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian had on several occasions said that Sarawak is rich given the RM10 billion revenues.
“Dr Sim is muddle-headed. He doesn’t know what he’s talking. He keeps on saying we have RM10 billion but not all of that money is for development because you still need to cover expenditure,” Wong said.
As a poacher turned opposition party gamekeeper Wong Soon Koh is very well placed to comment on the actions of the GPS government when it comes to the mishandling of public money.
He was a former finance minister of the state for many years under the kleptocratic rule of Taib Mahmud, after all.
So, Wong knows better than most first how money is siphoned away from proper development purposes and second how the likes of ‘Premier’ Abang Jo seek to hide that fact through lack of budget transparency.
The state government has even sought to sue the opposition leader Chong for ‘defamation’ for doing his job in demanding that missing and undeclared financial figures be presented for scrutiny. Chong pointed out long ago that around half the money raised from the state has been disappearing into a ‘Black Hole’ that is simply unaccounted for to the public.
Wong is one man who can spill the beans on some of these shenanigans right up till 2019. He should agree to stand as a witness in the outrageous court proceedings against his opposition rival on this matter.