KUCHING: Corporate Affairs Assistant Minister Abdullah Saidol (pic) said it was bizarre to read a written ministerial response from Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng in responding to Sarawak’s request for settlement of the tourism tax revenue in such agitated tone.
State’s Tourism, Culture, Arts, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, was merely raising a valid concern about tourism tax owed to Sarawak.
“Shockingly the response from the Federal Minister of Finance sounded edgy. It should be noted that it was an official written press statement from the Ministry of Finance and signed by the minister,” said Abdullah.
“Which state in this country has never secured a federal loan? For the record, in accordance with the terms of arrangement with the federal government, Sarawak did not default on any repayment,” the assistant minister said.
Abdullah noted that Lim should know better about this state-federal financial arrangement as he was once Penang chief minister.
Being a federal minister now, he (Lim) should have shown a level-headed attitude by specifically addressing the issue raised instead of emotionally bringing up other unrelated matters, he said.
On another development, Saidol said Lim should not ask about how much Sarawak contributed to the national coffers.
“The deliberation about it will cause MoF to suffer nausea. Sarawak people still remember what he (Lim) pledged about giving 20% royalties and returning back 50% of all tax collected from Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.
