BAU: Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders must consult their officers before claiming they have not received any report on urgent matters.

Veteran Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) leader and Minister of Education, Science and Technological Research Sarawak, Dato Sri Michael Manyin lamented such negative statement is very unfair and will paint a picture as if government servants are not doing their job.

“Yesterday, Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching said she did not receive the list of dilapidated schools… you see politicians come and go but the officers are there. The education department last year furnished everything.

“I can even give you details off hand – out of 1,454 schools 1,020 are classified as dilapidated of which 415 are classified as critically ‘daif’ and that has been given to Education Ministry last year.

“In addition to that, the education department has identified 113 schools which are not very far away from the electricity grid and can be connected to the grid but are still using generators.

“Total schools still using generators today are 371 and total number of schools without treated water is 428,” Manyin said.

Manyin was paying his last respects and attended the funeral of Catherine Janet Tiwi, 25, who died in a fire that razed a primary school quarters in Mulu early Wednesday.

He insisted that these data have been given to Ministry of Education.

“So now Pakatan Harapan government comes in, they should ask from officers. Don’t say that you have not received. The education department has furnished everything.

“I was there, we briefed deputy prime minister recently, we briefed Barisan Nasional minister last year, so everything is there. So hopefully the Pakatan Harapan will honour the pledge and fund approved under the budget last year which is RM1 billion to build dilapidated schools over a period of two years. RM500 million each year, this year and next year,” he said.

Manyin urged the deputy minister to check her facts before replying in the negative.

“Don’t say that she has not received, as if we are not doing our job. Education department has detailed everything, and now chief minister has already decided and told me during last cabinet meeting that 113 schools which the department has identified can be connected to the grid, we will use Sarawak money – that will cost about RM50 million.

“Water supply those can be connected to the grid, chief minister have already approved RM9 millions so this is not Pakatan Harapan money but Gabungan Parti Sarawak money – GPS money.

“That we will do,” he said.

On the accusation that he was trying to terminate a contract between Jepak Holding and MOE, Manyin said Ministry of Education Sarawak and JPN are not a party to the contract.

“We have nothing to do with the contract and we cannot suggest to terminate the contract. They also said they want to contact me, but I am not a party to it.

“I want to make it very clear that education department have done their job, we have been assisting them and we have all the details, so hopefully PH will not wait for too long, we have been neglected for the past 50 years. How can we have 415 schools critically dilapidated, cannot be repaired you know, only can be replaced. Altogether 1,020 in dilapidated state,” Manyin repeated.

On whether the Sarawak government had submitted the RM1 billion loan proposal officially to Putrajaya, Manyin said last year education department had given everything to the DPM and Minister of Education and the Chief Minister was there.

“CM after giving the briefing they asked how much to repair or replace the dilapidated schools, I said to them probably for a minimum of RM3 billion.

“Of course they don’t have the money. CM said, if they don’t have the money they can start with RM1 billion loan from Sarawak government, we do it first and we will send the bill to Federal,” Manyin said.

Manyin said that the DPM had asked Sarawak Education Ministry to make a presentation to the Economic Council and finally RM1 billion was approved under budget 2018, ‘not just cakap cakap but via 2018 budget’.

“As far as we are concerned the money is not being spent yet. Hopefully PH government will honour it. What CM suggested the other day was if they don’t have money, CM is ready to allow them to use our money,” he said.

When pressed further whether there was any official communication on the RM1 billion loan offer to PH, Manyin said they have not written in yet.

“It is more or less official but we have not written to them. So, we are ready to use RM1 billion, RM500 million this year and RM500 million next year but the bill must be sent to KL and they can pay it via instalment,” he said.

Commenting on the late Catherine Janet, Manyin said he was saddened that such a young, dynamic, hardworking teacher has passed away in such a tragic incident.

Manyin said to date, a charity fund initiated by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg has reached RM100,000.

“Chief Minister has approved RM50,000 I gave RM30,000 and many others have contributed and we have about RM100,000 now and we are hoping more people will come forward to show their good gesture – there is no such thing as indemnity because this involves loss of life that we definitely cannot compensate. We just want to help lighten the family’s burden,” Manyin said.