By : QUEVILLE TO
KOTA KINABALU: The federal
government has again come under fire for making
promises to Sabah that it cannot keep. It happens at the end of every
year and this year was no exception.
With scores of public service
infrastructure projects pending and facing extended delays while on-going works
proceeding at a snail’s pace, the opposition has had a field day criticising
the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition for taking its often boasted
“fixed-deposit” state for granted.
The Sabah Progressive Party
(SAPP) pointed out this week that the Health Ministry has again had to
acknowledge that it could not complete construction of the state’s main
referral hospital – the Queen Elizabeth Hospital – on time despite extending
its own multiple deadlines numerable times.
The party’s information
chief Chong Pit Fah said the failure to complete the hospital’s main Tower
Block reconstruction project on schedule had now become a perfect example or a
hallmark of the struggling coalition’s inability to function efficiently.
Chong also called for a full
investigation of the multiple delays.
He said that the extended
delay necessitates the direct intervention of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak
himself as his ministers were proving to be incompetent.
The RM364 million project to
build a 10-storey tower block to replace a tower block that was found
“structurally unsound” commenced on June 7, 2010. The new building was supposed
to have been completed by January this year, but was later deferred to end of
this year.
However, checks this week
showed the building is far from near completion. Chong said he had been
informed by those in the know that the federal government was making plans to
extend the completion date yet again.
“How many extensions have
there been since the project started in June 2010? I think a piece of capati (a
type of bread) is worth more than the so-called ‘Janji Ditepati’,” he said in a
swipe at the “Promises fulfilled” slogan repeatedly trumpeted by the BN government.
Chong, who is local area
party chief, said that while a full explanation on the extended delay was
imperative, the government authorities responsible were keeping silent, it was
business as usual and no one was being held accountable.
“On behalf of the people of
Sabah, we in SAPP demand the Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai explain the new
delay. We also demand to know when is the new date of completion and a personal
assurance from the prime minister in the true spirit of ‘Janji Ditepati’,” he
said.
Lack of supporting medical
equipment
Observers have also pointed
out that when completed, the building might not be fully functional due to the
non-implementation of initial plans as a result of squabbles by interested
parties over lucrative jobs or contracts to supply medical equipment.
“I was made to understand
that there’s a strong possibility that many departments might not have the
medical equipment to conduct routine diagnostic checks,” Chong said, adding
that the hospital departments affected are the dental, opthalmic, orthopaedic,
sterilisation, urology, haematology and others.
“Besides this, more than
half of the operation theatres, intensive care unit and isolation rooms might
also not be able to function due to the lack of supporting medical equipment.”
He said Liow had remained
silent on the issue, raising concerns among the various parties involved that
there was some level of chaos and interference in the whole project.
Chong urged the government
to be transparent and disclose in detail the provisions for the project and its
exact cost as the people have a right to know how the money the government is
collecting as taxes is being used.(FMT)
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