SARAWAK has accused Putrajaya of failing to honour its agreement to repair dilapidated schools across the state.

Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg said today the state has repaid RM700 million of the RM1 billion federal loan from Putrajaya to fix the schools, but no work has started on any of the nearly 1,500 schools earmarked for the repairs to date.

The RM1 billion loan was issued by the Ministry of Finance, which had demanded Sarawak begin paying back early.

Abang Johari said Sarawak had paid RM350 million in August last year and the second tranche on February 7.

The final tranche of RM300 million, which should be paid in the next three months, could be withheld, since no work has been carried out, he said.

“If they don’t deliver, why make the payment?” he told reporters after opening a colloquium on the Quran in Kuching today.

Abang Johari said Sarawak had long been concerned that the funds to repair schools could have been diverted elsewhere.

In striking a deal on the loan for school repairs, he said Sarawak had wanted the money to go straight to the schools that needed it most.

The state had wanted the Sarawak Public Works Department (JKR) carry out the project, but on September 18, 2019, the ministry said the federal JKR would be in charge, while Sarawak JKR was only appointed as assistant project manager.

“They broke the agreement. When we paid the first tranche of RM350 million, we had expected work to start,” the chief minister said.

The first tranche was to have been used to rebuild or upgrade 37 schools.

Abang Johari said, even though it was clear the agreement was not honoured, “we paid the second tranche to honour our part of the agreement”.

He said the final repayment hinges on talks between the state’s Education, Science and Technological Research Minister Michael Manyin and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad on March 12.

The chief minister said Manyin had been directed to meet Dr Mahathir, who is also acting education minister, to sort out the issue.

Manyin last week revealed that the ministry had made a U-turn on some of the agreed decisions, such as the appointment of the federal JKR, instead of Sarawak JKR, to head the project.

The ministry had also reportedly demanded a review of the work scope, as well as the list of schools to be fixed.

Manyin said the review had in turn delayed the tendering process. – February 18, 2020.