DEPUTY Chief Minister Douglas Uggah refused to answer reporters’ questions on why the Malaysian Pepper Board, an agency under the federal Primary Industries Ministry, had appealed to the state government for “contributions”.

Earlier, in the gathering of officers and staff of departments and agencies under his Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development Ministry this afternoon, Uggah told them he was “surprised” when Pepper Board chairman Larry Sng, in a call to discuss the drop in pepper price on Monday, had appealed “to the state government to give contributions”.

“I thought he came to offer his support (on our agriculture and commodities policies),” he said.

Uggah when approached later refused to explain why the Julau MP from PKR made the unusual request, for whom or for what.

“No comments. I even forgot what he was asking for,” was Uggah’s only reply.

Financial matter is currently a touchy subject between Sarawak and Putrajaya.

When Sarawak Tourism, Youth, Arts and Culture Minister Abdul Karim Hamzah inquired about payment on the state’s share of the tourism tax, it sparked a spat with Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng.

Lim then linked the unpaid tax to the state’s outstanding federal loans.

The finance minister said since the state has a large financial reserve, it should settle the loans first instead.

Karim, in turn, accused Lim of being unprofessional in handling the request and linking it to “unrelated subject matter”.

The Sarawak government even disputed Lim’s claim that the state owes the federal government over RM2.5 billion in federal loans, with some RM50 million in arrears yet to be repaid.

The Sarawak Chief Minister’s Office said that the amount owed by the state as at December 31, 2018, was only RM2.38 billion and that it is not in arrears on its repayment.

The Sarawak government told Lim its federal loans are paid in a timely manner based on repayment schedules as stipulated in the agreement between the state and federal governments.

The loans are to fund development projects in the state and the Sarawak government said it is a normal procedure to request for the loans as it was provided for in the federal constitution. – January 10, 2019.