BROKEN Pakatan Harapan promises on education autonomy are the reason why the Sarawak government is in a mud-slinging match with Putrajaya and is having to repair run-down schools, state Education, Science and Technological Research Minister Michael Manyin said today.

“This (bickering) would not have happened if PH election promises had been kept,” Manyin said when disclosing today that officers from his ministry would be having a meeting with officers from the ministry of finance and ministry of education next week to thrash out how the repairs will be carried out.

Manyin was referring to the PH manifesto where it had promised to “devolve full autonomy” in education to Sarawak if it won the general election, including powers to build schools, to revive English schools, to employ teachers and to determine its own education policies.

He said the PH coalition also made similar promises for healthcare.

Meanwhile, he mentioned another manifesto pledge that the coalition would increase state oil and gas royalties from the present 5% to 20%, distributing 10% of the royalty money to Sarawakians as petroleum cash dividends.

PH was also reported to have said it would set up a royal commission to review federal legislations that erode the rights of Sarawak and return 50% of all taxes collected in the state.

None of the promises have been fulfilled, according to Manyin.

He also accused Sarawak PH chief Chong Chieng Jen of trying to score as many political points as he could in the repair of 1,020 state schools, of which 415 are in a critical condition.

Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg last year initially offered Putrajaya a RM1 billion loan to assist the cash strapped federal government hasten the repair of schools.

The offer has since degenerated into a political football and on July 6, the finance ministry claimed Sarawak had not replied to its proposal how the RM1 billion, which has now been turned into a part payment of the state’s federal loan – should be paid and how it would be used.

Abang Johari later said Sarawak had given its agreement on the mechanics to Education Minister Maszlee Malik four months ago when he was in Kuching to discuss the issue.

Manyin, after attending the opening of the Minda and Stem festival by the chief minister at Chung Hua Middle School No. 1, said Chong waging a campaign in the media “will not solve the problem” of the schools in a state of disrepair. – July 12, 2019.