A GABUNGAN Parti Sarawak (GPS) assemblyman has asked Lim Guan Eng to apologise state over his 2019 statement that the state will go bankrupt in three years’ time if it continues to be ruled by the GPS coalition.

Meradong rep, Ding Kuong Hiing, asked in the state assembly today for DAP’s Padungan rep and state chairman Chong Chieng Jen to “be a gentleman” and ask Lim to make the apology which he made at a party fund raising event in Kuching.

Lim was finance minister when he made the statement.

Ding said Premier Abang Johari Openg had proven Lim wrong by continuing to table state budgets of over RM10 billion for three consecutive years after that.

Abang Johari’s “innovative financial manoeuvres”, revenue re-engineering and prudent financial management had instead put Sarawak in a financial position where it continued to be rated favourably by financial rating agencies, he said.

Although four years have passed since Lim made the statement, it still rankles many GPS reps.

Chong, in his defence of Lim, said had it not been the strong opposition by DAP to Abang Johari’s light rail transit (LRT) project, the Sarawak premier would have proceeded with it and the state would be in financial trouble now.

“It is a blessing that the premier accepted DAP’s view in aborting the plan on the proposed LRT project. Otherwise, the state’s financial position will be in tatters,” Chong said.

He said based on Abang Johari’s 2017 proposal, the more than 120km of LRT lines would have cost the state between RM25 to RM30 billion, excluding land acquisition costs.

“Had Abang Jo gone ahead with the LRT project, given now that the construction materials have more than doubled in prices since his announcement, the costs would have inflated to an estimated RM50 billion.

“We have saved Sarawakians RM50 billion from a white elephant project.”

Chong said the choice of the word “bankrupt” by Lim might not be palatable to GPS but if Abang Johari had continued “with his extravagance and multi-billion projects”, Sarawak’s financial position would have been in danger.

“It could be the bankrupt word used by Lim Guan Eng that finally stopped Abang Jo’s fantasy of having a LRT from Santubong to Serian, which all Sarawak folks and our future generations will be made to pay for.”

Ding however, trashed Chong’s explanation as a “feeble excuse”.

“I would like to state categorically that this feeble excuse is sheer rubbish because at no time did this reason being mentioned when he (Lim) made that statement.” – May 23, 2022.