MUKAH, Oct 2 — Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg stressed that his announcements of high impact projects costing millions are not empty promises but ones that can be fulfilled.
He said allocations were set aside before the projects including bridges, roads and water treatment plants were announced.
“Don’t worry, we have the money for these projects and that is why I make the announcements,” he said at a meet-the-people session here last night.
“If you see what people have posted on social media, you would read all sorts of claims and allegations, asking if the state GPS (Gabungan Parti Sarawak) government has the money for the big projects or whether we are mere telling lies to the people.
“If we don’t have the money, then I will not be making the announcements,” Abang Johari said, adding that the state government has various sources of income, including the 5 per cent sales tax imposed on the export of petroleum and petroleum products.
He said the state government is expected to receive over RM3 billion from the sales tax this year.
The chief minister said he will chair the state development coordination committee later today to analyse reports and feedback on the status of high impact projects launched by the state government over the last two years
“Sometimes, if we don’t go to the ground we don’t know what are happening to these projects,” he said, adding the meeting will be attended by state ministers, State Secretary Datuk Jaul Samion, his three deputies and directors of state departments and agencies.
He said yesterday he visited many projects in Mukah that he announced and were now under construction, including the upgrading of the water treatment plant.
“When I see all the projects that have approved in Sarawak over the last two years, which are now being constructed on schedule, we will not hesitate to increase the allocations for more projects with high impact under the 12th Malaysia Plan, beginning next year,” he said.