FOR YOU: Yong (third right) hands over the scholarship to a recipient as committee members of the Klan Yap (Nan Yang) Sarawak Association look on.
KUCHING: BN candidate for Stampin Datuk Yong Khoon Seng seems to be fed up with the opposition’s obsession in branding the BN government as corrupt.
“The opposition keeps talking about corruption. What about the states under their rule? No corruption at all? I am against corruption too,” he said at the annual general meeting of Klan Yap (Nan Yang) Sarawak Association here yesterday.
Yong, 72, said he lived a simple life and neither have a branded watch nor expensive clothes.
He added that he lived in a 40-year-old house and drove a 30-year-old car. In addition, most of his salary was given to charity.
“Actually, I am poor. Being a politician for so many years and never changed my house to a bigger one.
“The opposition cannot attack me because they could not find proof of corruption. I really did not get involved in it (corruption).”
Yong, who is also deputy minister of works, is also upset with the opposition for painting him as a person who did not keep his words about retiring.
He explained that he had been involved in politics for more than 30 years already and his planned retirement come the 13th general election was his “wish” and never a “promise”.
Yong said he had to contest in the May 5 general election as the prime minister and many associations had asked him to delay his retirement plan.
He revealed that Datuk Sri Najib Tun Razak even sent people to persuade him to put his retirement plan on hold.
“Our PM even said, `You have been avoiding me’, when we met some three or four weeks ago,” said Yong, adding that Najib told him that this election was very different from previous ones and thus hoped he could help him.
“The PM even said ‘Tolong me’. My heart became soft when he said ‘Tolong’.
“So, I told PM I agreed but that I needed to discuss the matter with my family members first.”
On voters, especially the young ones, calling for change, Yong advised them not to harbour such thoughts simply for the sake of change without thinking about its implications.
He said it would be better for the people to urge the BN to transform to become better.
“The young only want to change government, but what will happen after a change of government? Would it be better?”
Yong said Pakatan Rakyat comprised only three parties – DAP, PKR and PAS, and yet they could not even agree on who should become the prime minister if they won the polls.
“The three parties are competing hard with each other for the premier post. They have many internal problems.”
He said the people should continue to rally behind the BN for the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) had started to bear fruits.
He added that the government was trying to transform the country in many areas, including education.
“We are now the caretaker government but we still take care of the educational needs of all races. The national budget has systematically allocated funds to Chinese primary schools, mission schools and religion schools.”
He said not many countries have the kind of education allocations dished out by Malaysia. - theborneopost
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