KUCHING: Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong has been urged not to use the Sarawak Cancer Centre project as a political stunt.
A political secretary to the Premier Kua Jack Seng said it must be clarified that the centre falls under the federal Ministry of Health (MoH), and federal Public Works Department (PWD) as the implementing agency.
“This is a collaborative effort between the federal and state governments — not a so-called ‘one-man decision’ by Deputy Premier and Public Health, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian, as Yong alleged,” he said in a statement.
Kua said Yong’s recent remarks unfairly singled out Dr Sim, while remaining silent on federal leaders, including Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, despite the matter being discussed at the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) Committee meeting.
“Dr Sim has been consistently updating on the progress of the Sarawak Cancer Centre through public platforms and his own social media channels, which have also been widely reported by the media,” he said.
“The irony is also that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim himself has already announced in Parliament that the Sarawak Cancer Centre will be implemented under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP).
“If Violet Yong is doubtful about the Sarawak Cancer Centre, her Democratic Action Party (DAP) which commands 40 MPs in Parliament, should table a vote of no confidence against the Prime Minister, instead of smearing Dr Sim,” he said.
Kua said it was unfortunate that Yong had chosen to exploit the matter as a political gimmick.
“Instead of pressing her DAP colleagues in Parliament to demand faster action from Putrajaya, she prefers to take cheap shots at a Sarawak minister. What Sarawakians need is a solution, not endless political stunts.
“If Violet Yong really cares about the people of Sarawak, she should bring the fight to Parliament and hold her own party colleagues accountable — not use the Sarawak Cancer Centre as her ‘political lifeline’ whenever she runs out of ideas,” he added.
He stressed that the Sarawak government will continue to push the project forward, while the federal government must fulfil its responsibility.
Last Friday, Yong had called on Dr Sim to break his silence on the long-awaited Sarawak Cancer Centre.
She also questioned whether the issue was even raised during the MA63 Committee meeting in Putrajaya on Aug 11.
