For the coming May, 2022 DUN sitting, I have on 29th April submitted 10 questions, 9 for written reply and 1 for oral reply.
The questions that I submitted are as follows:
- To ask the Honourable Chief Minister to state the present book value of the net assets and net asset per unit of the Amanah Saham Sarawak Trust Fund, the reason for the depletion of the assets of the Fund and total government grants to the Fund since the date of its inception. (Written Reply)
- To ask the Honourable Chief Minister to state the racial composition of the State Civil service at all respective grades of the service. (Written Reply)
- To ask the Honourable Chief Minister to state the status of implementation of the Automated Rail Transit (ART) in Kuching, the estimated costs of implementation of the whole project and the estimated Return on Investment of the project. (Written Reply)
- To ask the Honourable Chief Minister to state the total acreage of land to be acquired for the implementation of the Automated Rail Transit in Kuching and to provide a map showing the proposed acquisition of the affected land and the estimated costs of such acquisition. (Written Reply)
- To ask the Honourable Chief Minister to give an account of the balance sheet of Development Bank of Sarawak (DBOS) and the total deposits collected and loans disbursed since its incorporation in 2017 and the particulars and purposes of such disbursed loans. (Written Reply)
- To ask the Honourable Chief Minister to state the total Sales Tax collected by the State Government for the years 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 (up to 30 th April) and the breakdown of such taxes in terms of the items (eg. petroleum products, oil palm, lotteries, tyres etc.) on which the Sales Tax were imposed. (Written Reply)
- To ask the Honourable Chief Minister to state the progress of the repair of dilapidated schools in Sarawak and the respective amount of fund used for each of the schools. (Written Reply)
- To ask the Honourable Chief Minister to state the economic recovery plan for Sarawak and the respective GDP of Sarawak for the years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and estimated figure for 2022. (Written Reply)
- To ask the Honourable Chief Minister to state the return on investment on the State Government’s multi-billion acquisition of Bakun Hydroelectric Dam since 2017, the initial outlay, the interest costs incurred, management, maintenance and operation costs over the years and the revenue generated thus far. (Written Reply)
- To ask the Honourable Chief Minister to state the rationale for the State to concede on the constitutionality, validity and legality of the Petroleum Development Act, 1976 and the Territorial Sea Act, 2012. (Oral Reply)
My question seeking oral reply is one that most Sarawakians are concerned. The late Adenan Satem has previously in DUN Sarawak questioned the legality and validity of the Petroleum Development Act, 1976 and the Territorial Sea Act, 2012. Thereafter, actions have been taken by the State
Government to nullify the 2 laws.
If the 2 laws were nullified, Sarawak will assume all rights over the oil and gas extracted in Sarawak and her offshores oil and gas fields.
However, in December, 2020, to the surprise and disappointment of all, the State Government reached a settlement with Petronas, thus conceding to the validity of the 2 laws. Such act of the State Government is a departure from the wishes and words of the late Adenan Satem and tantamount to a
betrayal and a sell-out of Sarawak’s rights over her oil and gas. It definitely goes against the “Sarawak first” slogan proclaimed by the GPS all these years.
Therefore, the State Government should be accountable to DUN Sarawak for its reason and basis to reach the settlement with Petronas and why it conceded to the validity of the 2 laws.
According to the DUN Standing Order, answers to questions seeking written reply will be given to the Assemblyman asking the questions after the DUN sitting while questions seeking oral reply will be arranged by the Speaker to be answered by the relevant Ministers during the DUN sitting.
Given that only the first hour of each sitting day (excluding those days set aside for ministerial reply to debates) is set for oral replies, for each day, only approximately the first 15 questions will be replied by the ministers concerned, while the remaining questions for the day will lapsed and no reply will be given.
In light of the importance of the question and the huge public interest involved, I urged the DUN Speaker to have the question listed in the first 10 questions of any of the sitting days.
Sarawakians want answers from the State Government for giving up Sarawak’s rights over her oil and gas the second time, the first time was in 1976 when the PDA 1976 was passed in Parliament with the support of all the then Sarawak BN Members of Parliament.