Dr Jerip accuses opposition of jeopardising racial harmony

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DR JERIP Susil (BN-Bengoh) has used his time slot in the august house accusing the opposition party of jeopardising racial harmony in the state.

He said the opposition had spread false propaganda in the just concluded state election which has successfully created mistrust for many urban voters, especially the Chinese, against Bumiputera Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders.

He claimed that many Bumiputeras have been branded as ‘stupid’ by the Chinese supporters of Democratic Action Party (DAP) for not voting for the opposition.

“ Whenever they sit in the coffee shop in towns, or go on Facebook, blogs, internet websites, they have been branded as ‘stupid’ by the Chinese supporters of DAP for not voting the opposition.

“This kind of discriminatory rhetoric does not augur well with our racial harmony. Just because they did not vote for DAP or PKR (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) does not mean the Bumiputeras are ‘stupid’. But this is the attitude of the opposition,” he said when debating the motion of thanks on Head of State’s address. He also asked Chinese in the state, whom he claimed controlled over 60 per cent of economic wealth of Sarawak, to be grateful.

“The Chinese community ought to be grateful now after this long journey of developing our state. When the natives come to trade with the Chinese in town, both should be grateful, for the fact that the politics of development have empowered the natives to purchase the Chinese goods and the Chinese also should be grateful that their business have expanded.

“But instead, I hear remarks while I was quietly in a sundry shop in Kota Sentoasa during this Gawai and I hear remarks in Hakka, ‘the lakia monkeys are now here to invade our goods’. Not only do they call us stupid but even as we give them business during this festive season, they call us ‘lakia monkeys’,” said Dr Jerip, who retained the Bengoh seat using Sarawak United Peoples’ Party’s (SUPP) ticket, the party where majority members are Chinese. Dr Jerip’s remarks caused objection from Chong Chieng Jen (DAP-Kota Sentosa) who tried to seek point of order from him under Standing Order 32 (10) (b).

“Bengoh (Dr Jerip) accuses the DAP for branding the Bumiputeras as ‘stupid’. We never do that,” Chong said.

However, Deputy Speaker Roland Sagah Wee Inn ruled that Dr Jerip “is only stating a fact. He is not accusing anyone”.

Chong later told reporters that some statements made by Dr Jerip “are seditious” as stipulated under Standing Order 32(10)(b).

“How can a YB of two or three terms like (Dr) Jerip bring coffeeshop talks to the august house and worse still, pin the blame on the DAP?

“His statements are baseless, irresponsible, seditious and very racist. You cannot deliberate based on what you heard from the coffeeshop,” he told reporters here yesterday.

Chong, who is Bandar Kuching MP, charged that some government backbenchers had played along the race line judging from the sessions convened for the week.

“What they have been doing will jeopardise racial harmony. Are they trying to play a race card or something? (Dr) Jerip is a YB for SUPP and SUPP should make its stand on this,” he said.