CM: Don’t turn federation into a political party

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THE LATEST: Taib (second left) and Sng (second right) go through a community publication. Chai is at right.

KUCHING: Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud dismissed speculations that the new Chinese federation, Chiang Chuan Association of Sarawak (Federation of Seven Clan Associations), would be turned into a new political party to fill the void left behind by SUPP after its debacle in the last state election.

“You should not think about politics immediately. You don’t think of trying to be adventurous and far-fetched when you have suffered some kind of weakness,” he advised.

He was speaking to the media after receiving a delegation from the federation led by its advisor and Youth Advisor in the Chief Minister’s Department Larry Sng at the Merdeka Raya open house at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching, Wednesday.

“Whatever political affiliation among the Chinese will be, let them decide it themselves. I am only trying to see whatever I can do to encourage them to come together to preserve our harmony,” he stressed.

He admitted that the present BN government might not be that perfect as politics, in essence, is the art of possibilities to accommodate the ideals.

“But we have to be practical about the way we want to achieve those ideals.

“To me, it is very sad, just for the sake of politics, if we ever forget the solidarity and nation building that we have been able to achieve since ‘Merdeka’ and before ‘Merdeka’,” he said.

Taib also said the peace and harmony existing in the state now should not be taken for granted as doing so would bring disaster to its people.

He advised the Chinese community to ‘rehash’ their mind so that they would be able to focus on their basic needs.

He pointed this out because the Chinese community now seemed to have lost its focus and direction after the dismal performances of SUPP, a Chinese-based party in the last state election where it lost 13 out of the 15 seats in Chinese majority areas to the opposition.

The Chief Minister who is also the state BN chairman said if need be SUPP had to overhaul its leadership to remain relevant to the very community which has founded it.

As change was inevitable for SUPP’s survival, Taib also called on the Chinese community to regroup itself and find a new way to address its needs in a multi-racial and multi religious setting like Sarawak.

By looking at the basic needs of the community, Taib also called on the Chinese to look at its relationship with the present BN government as well as its relationship with other communities in the state to ensure the prevailing peace and harmony will continue to remain intact.

However, the Chief Minister was happy that despite their political differences, the Chinese community had been able to stand solidly behind their various associations to defend their basic needs.