I refer to the Malaysiakini report Give S'wak advance payment for 10th Plan: Taib.
Can anyone really believe that?
In reality, he wants to use this money to cover up the contagion effects of all the financial misdeeds of his government, such as the billions lost in 1st Silicon, Borneo Pulp, Assar, etc. as well as to siphon off through CMS, Naim Cendera and other crony companies, knowing very well that this is his last term in office.
Under the current economic situation, these can no longer be covered up using existing resources or funding. The full extent of the damage caused to Sarawak by 28 years of Taib's financial mismanagement, corruption and cover-up now threatens to blow up in his face.
The question is, who will really benefit from the bringing forward of these infrastructure works under the 10th Malaysia Plan, Sarawak - its people or Taib, his family and cronies?
The fact that he presides over one of the poorest states in Malaysia despite its timber, oil and gas wealth alone says it all. Where has all that wealth gone?
I have a feeling that this is just another of Taib's evil schemes to rob the state of more of its wealth in a final orgy of outright looting. Does he really care about the effects of the economic slowdown on Sarawak, since he may not even be around for much longer?
The worst case scenario will become even worse once the true extent of the damage done by Taib, his family and cronies is revealed.
Public sector investment will, of course, will benefit none other than himself, his family and cronies. Or being his last term in office, perhaps he may even leave his cronies to drown? That should be a sobering though for them.
He is quoted as saying ‘even in this (export) sector, the pain would be temporary as the state government had laid down programmes offering investment opportunities capable of generating sound returns later’.
What programmes? What about all those programmes which have been generating losses for so long? Will it be a case of more good money being thrown after bad? When is later?
He is also quoted as putting forward Score (Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy), as the kind of approach that will ensure there is a foundation for sustainable development for the next few years.
Again the question is who will score from Score?
If as Taib claims, investments in Score ‘were not only sound but of a long-term nature and not requiring the generation of any revenue until 2013', in reality then, there is no prospect of immediate revenue generation from Score (if there were initial investments at all in the first place), let alone any net income for a very long time. Taib, his family and cronies would certainly have cashed out much earlier.
Furthermore, if in the initial stage, the emphasis in Score is on construction and laying out the necessary infrastructure for the heavy industries that have been planned. Surely this means that the people's money will have to be spent first without any real prospect of returns? Guess who will make money from this construction and infrastructure?
The full extent of what Sarawak has suffered will not be known until Taib dies or leaves or is removed from office.
For Taib to describe the situation in the state as not so bad when compared with countries like the US, UK, Europe and Japan is rather disingenuous.
Of course, it doesn't appear to be so bad since he has managed to keep the real damage hidden all these years, while the rural people of Sarawak have been waiting and suffering for so long thinking that Taib and the BN government were really doing all they can to alleviate their poverty.
Basically, the BN government and Taib are still just playing the denial game and hoping to bluff their way out of the impending disaster. Let us all be aware of this. They will not be so lucky this time.
The vultures have come home to roost and it will take more than advance payment of funds from the 10th Malaysia Plan (even if, hard to believe, that is not a ploy to have one last go) to mitigate their deeds and the consequences thereof.
