KUCHING, Nov 14 — Chong Chieng Jen (DAP-Padungan) did not manage to seek clarification today from Sarawak Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian on his ministry’s additional travel expenses of over RM1 million.
This was because State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Speaker Datuk Amar Mohd Asfia Awang Nassar ruled the minister concerned was not expected to give a reply to Chong as governed under Standing Order 66(4).
“The matter raised shall be confined to the service for which the money is to be provided and shall not deal with the details of the expenditure but may refer to the details of the revenue or fund for which that service is responsible,” Mohd Asfia said in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN).
Chong had sought clarification with prior notice from the DUN secretariat when Deputy Sarawak Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas tabled the Supplementary Supply (2024) Bill, 2024.
Mohd Asfia directed Uggah not to provide any details to the Democratic Action Party (DAP) lawmaker.
“You (Uggah) have to confine to the policy for which the service is provided. There is no need to go into details,” ruled the Speaker.
In response, Uggah showed a printed report of Chong’s trip to Shanghai, China when the latter served as a federal deputy minister.
“I went through a website. I saw you smiling during a function in Shanghai. As the (federal) deputy minister, who’s paying for this, DAP kah?
“No, you don’t have to reply. It’s written here (in the report). Luckily you stayed in the federal Cabinet only for one year and seven months, if not, travelling a bit more,” Uggah quipped.
Chong’s attempts to clarify the matter further were futile as his microphone was switched off.
As he continued to speak without the microphone on, Mohd Asfia reiterated his ruling and told Uggah to “just confine to the policy”.
“If you go into the details of the if’s and the but’s, that would be until the cows come home,” said the Speaker.
Uggah then replied: “The GPS government is a very, very responsible government, not like DAP. We follow a clear, stringent guideline and well-established policies. We have Cabinet’s approval and don’t simply travel.”
He added no law had been broken and things were done according to procedures.
Prior to this, Chong had termed the additional travel expenses “ridiculous” and called for the DUN not to approve it.
He said it would be acceptable if the additional travel expenses were 10 or 20 per cent more than the original amount approved.
“But one of the expenses, from RM497,500 to RM888,000, almost doubled and the other one, from RM161,480 to RM1.15 million was eight or nine times more than the original amount.
“The first one is said to meet travelling and subsistence allowances, rents, professional services, hospitality, and other services, and the other one is to meet the payment of travelling and subsistence allowances.
“Why was there such poor budgeting in the first place? I request for a breakdown from the honourable minister,” he added.
Chong further asked the Speaker what sort of travel expenses require RM1.15 million.
He said the same ministry had also sought for an additional RM2.7 million to meet overseas trips expenses during the sitting in May this year.
“In addition to the RM2.7 million approved in the last sitting, the total is now RM3.8 million on top of the RM161,000 approved,” he said.
Chong added the ministry is responsible to tell Sarawakians who and how many were on those trips.
“Ada bawa bini kah? (Brought along wives?) More importantly, what have you learnt, and what reform and new system was implemented which benefits the ministry?
“I think we all here and the rakyat outside there are entitled to an answer. Where did the ministry’s people, the officers, or the minister go? According to the Facebook of the honourable minister, he went to Washington and London, all overseas trips.
“Yeah, you can go there but now you went on public money, so you have to report to the Dewan before we can approve this additional allocation,” he said. — The Borneo Post
