As Sarawak is facing its 11th state election, Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders at both the federal and state level are boasting how Sarawak’s economy has been doing very well under BN.
Early last month, Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry (Miti), Ahmad Maslan reported that Sarawak trade surplus is RM54.76 billion last year. (Source: http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/04/04/sarawak-recorded-trade-surplus-of-rm54-76-billion-last-year-miti/)
Yesterday, Communication and Multimedia Minister Salleh Keruak said that Sarawak’s state reserve is now RM27 billion, substantially topping both Pakatan states of Penang and Selangor. (Source: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2016/05/02/salleh-swak-has-proven-itself-with-rm27b-reserves/)
The question then is, if Sarawak is so wealthy, why are the people so poor?
50% of Sarawak workers get less than RM1,300 a month
The average monthly salary of Sarawakian is still below RM2,000 at RM1,948. This is about 15% lower than the national mean salary. Compare this to Pakatan states such as Penang (RM2,263), and Selangor (RM2,629) or even Johor (RM2,394) where the mean monthly salaries are above the national average. (Source: Salaries and Wage Survey Report 2014, DOS)
What is sadder, 50% of workers in Sarawak receive a salary lower than RM1,300 a month. Sarawak has the fourth lowest median salary in Malaysia, after Sabah, (RM1,020), Kelantan (RM1,020) and Terengganu (RM1,200). (Source: Salaries and Wage Survey Report 2014, DOS)
In other words, if indeed someone is making money in Sarawak, the average Sarawakians are not enjoying the prosperity of the state and the country.
The question is who gets all the wealth?
If Sarawak is rich, why is BN still dishing out “tong biru”?
Another intriguing situation here is, if BN boasts such high state reserve and such economic boom for Sarawak, why is public infrastructure in the state in deplorable conditions?
In the area of Serian for example, the Serian Hospital which serves more than 150,000 people in the area was built in 1971 and has not gone through any substantial upgrading since.
The Slabi Water treatment plant which was built in 2013 costing RM113 million was promised to deliver treated pipe water to at least 90% of the Serian area. However this is not the case. In fact, Barisan Nasional continues to dish out the infamous “tong biru” water tank during election campaign to villages because these places still do not have access to treated pipe water.
Meanwhile the promised SMK Serian No. 2 which was approved since the Ninth Malaysia Plan (2006-2010) is still nowhere to be seen 10 years later, now that we are already in the Eleventh Malaysia Plan (2016-2020).
In fact, BN’s call for Sarawakians to vote for “local development” is self-defacing and self-sabotaging: After 53 years, 10 times winning the election and governing the state, why are we still talking about basic “local development” in Sarawak?
Clearly, there is money, but the money is not going to the average Sarawakians. The question is, who gets all the wealth?
A vote for BN in Sarawak, therefore, is equivalent to giving BN a blank check on Sarawak’s vast riches which it has been pillaging for over five decades.