Angry at officials in the chief minister’s office of Sarawak not answering to his question, Kota Sentosa assemblyperson Chong Chien Jen said that the former ‘have very low intelligence, even lower than the intelligence of primary three pupils’.

Chong, MP for Bandar Kuching and Sarawak DAP chief, was commenting on a reply from the office of the Chief Minister (CM) Adenan Satem regarding his question on the remuneration received by state assemblypersons from Barisan Nasional (BN).

In the May sitting of the assembly this year, he submitted the  question to the CM asking him to state all the respective positions in statutory bodies, government agencies and government-linked companies that are currently held by state assemblypersons and what were the respective remuneration paid to them since year 2009.

Chong ( right ) received the following answer late last month, which read as follows: 'appointment of the Honourable Members of Sarawak State Assembly to the respective positions in statutory bodies, government agencies and government-linked companies are based on suitability, capability and experience of the candidate required by the agency concerned'.

'Unthinkable low intelligence'

"Such an answer to the above question is way off.  Any primary three student will know that the so-called answer is not answering the question raised. 

"I am sure that in any examination, an examiner will fail a student giving such answer to the above question because it is clearly not answering the question.

"It is quite unthinkable that the officers in the Chief Minister’s Department and the CM are of such low intelligence that they cannot answer a simple question properly," said an angry Chong.

He said that the only conclusion that one can draw from such an answer is that the CM ( left ) is trying to hide from the public the information on the remunerations received by BN elected representatives from these statutory bodies, government agencies and government-linked companies (GLCs).

"It has been widely known that the BN YBs are appointed as members of the board of statutory bodies and government agencies like Kuching Port Authority, Miri Port Authority, SEDC and also GLCs such as the Syarikat SESCO Berhad," he said.

Do not follow Taib's legacy

Chong said the Sarawak government should be transparent.

There are tens of such agencies and government-linked companies whereby the BN YBs are sitting on their boards, he said.

"The money of these agencies and GLCs belong to the people of Sarawak and thus we - as  Sarawakians - have a right to know how much these statutory bodies, government agencies and GLCs are paying the BN YBs.”

He commended Adenan for having been perceived as being for a transparent and clean government since his CM appointment, but lambasted him for having given such an answer “that has proven otherwise” and has marred the sanctity of the assembly.

"I call upon Adenan to walk the talk and provide a proper answer to my question. Do not carry on the legacy of (former CM) Abdul  Taib Mahmud, a non-transparent administration," he said.