Sibu locals have been on the edge since Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said that he has to make up his mind over the “deal” that he made with the Sibu voters on releasing funds to solve the long-standing flood problem in the riverine town.

Civil societies are also condemning his “promise”, calling it a “clear act of bribery”.

Sibu Election Watchers coordinator Wong Meng Chuo said that resolving the ever-present flooding in Rejang Park should not be an issue only during election campaigning.

NONE “So it’s very clear that it’s an act of bribery. Now I don’t know if the funds will come.

“I think it is unfair, because it’s a real problem here, and it has to be dealt with. And the funds are supposed to be a part of a long-term solution to it,” he said.

He was referring to Najib’s ‘ deal ’ with the Sibu voters on the eve of polling day ( right ), that he would expedite solving the flood problem, if they were to vote for the BN candidate Robert Lau Hui Yew.

"Let's make a deal. If you deliver me Robert Lau Jr on Sunday, I will sign the cheque on Monday," Najib had said at a ceramah in the upper middle class housing estate in Rejang Park.

Lau subsequently lost to DAP’s Wong Ho Leng by a 398-majority in Sunday’s polls.

However, Najib said yesterday that the cabinet had yet to decide on the matter.

When asked if the Sibu voters will perceive the sudden indecisiveness as a punishment, Wong said that the locals could interpret it that way.

'Public, not Najib's, money'

DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang ( below ) also fired salvos at the federal government, calling Najib’s actions “vote-buying”.

NONE “It was clearly wrong for the prime minister not only to act like a public auctioneer, but to attempt to buy votes through any form of inducement.

“It is doubly wrong for Najib now to renege on the RM5 million undertaking to mitigate the drainage and sewerage problem at Rejang Park, Sibu, as if the RM5 million is his personal money, when it is taxpayers’ money to be spent in a responsible and accountable manner in keeping with the precepts of integrity and good governance.

“In fact, the only way for Najib to demonstrate that he was not trying to “buy” votes is to announce that the RM5 million allocation would be made,” he said in a statement.

However, Sibu SUPP information chief Daniel Ngieng was more diplomatic.

“I hope the government, whatever promises they have made, should not be empty. Promises should be fulfilled, that should be the attitude of politicians,” he said when contacted.

Money not enough

But it appears that the electorate have already resigned to the fact that Najib’s statements are simply no more than “election promises”.

NONE “They are not particularly angry. They know that it’s a trick. I don’t think they really have much expectations in the first place,” said Wong, who is a local boy himself.

But despite the RM5 million pledged by Najib with a caveat of a BN win, he said that it will still not be enough to resolve the flooding issue in the area.

“I don’t think that the flooding can be resolved in a year. The people are actually prepared to face it for years to come,” he said.

But the people of Sibu will still continue being resilient in the face of the perennial problem, where flood waters can be as high as four feet, indoors.

Flooding in low-laying Sibu is not just an isolated problem, but almost a regular occurrence every time it rains for more than an hour.

In fact, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has also previously admitted that the town’s overall flood mitigation project costs might balloon to more than RM1 billion , dwarfing Najib’s promise of RM5 million for the suburb’s drainage problem.

Muhyiddin had also said that it needed to be done in phases, and might very well extend beyond the 10th and 11th Malaysia Plans.

The 10th Malaysia Plan is scheduled for debate in next month’s Parliament sitting.

However, despite Najib’s initial non-committal stance, Muhyiddin has assured that the Federal government will still fulfil all pledges made during the by-election campaigning.

 

BN lacks 'credibility, integrity, honesty'

VIDEO

Najib's deal with Rejang Park l 7.05 mins