Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah
KUCHING: PRS Youth exco member Cr Bakat Gira has been advised to get his facts right rather than jumping into conclusion and veering into unrelated topics when making his statement.
Bakat’s comment that PRS Youth was concerned that the newly formed party Teras would further split the Dayak community and erode their support for BN in the next state election has made PBB Supreme Council member Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah rather amused.
“Though I don’t wish to have a debate over a trivial issue, I can’t help but be amused over comments made by some aspiring ‘young politicians’ who don’t seem to understand what I have queried in my earlier statement the past few days,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Abdul Karim, who is Asajaya assemblyman, pointed out that he had only queried on why PBB was not invited to the ‘merger of minds’.
“Never did I mention about Teras as I feel that the matter is best discussed and resolved within the state BN and federal family, which is totally not within my purview to question.
“I also never mentioned about Teras formation and its after-effect of splitting the Dayak community,” he reiterated.
However, Abdul Karim, who is also Assistant Minister of Housing, said he was equally as concerned as Bakat with Dayak unity.
“When I say Dayak leaders, PBB, SPDP and SUPP are included and not just any one party
which claimed to represent the Dayaks. Does this young politician know that PBB has the most Dayak YBs and leaders?
“If (Bakat) who is also PRS Baleh Youth chief wishes to drag me into discussion of disunity of the Dayak community caused by the formation of Teras, I would have to inform him that I don’t wish to as it was never my intention to do so through my statement earlier on,” he stressed.
On Teras, Abdul Karim reminded Bakat that it was not PBB that set up or orchestrated the formation of the party.
“Look at what happened in the last two, three years in SUPP and SPDP. The internal conflicts within these BN component parties culminated in dissenters forming this new entity, which they (Teras) have claimed they are BN friendly so we have to respect that.
“A majority of them are sitting in the state cabinet as ministers and assistant ministers. Even this PRS Baleh Youth chief’s president (Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing) never questioned why these leaders are in the cabinet. Hence, it is wise for him (Bakat) to act likewise and not question about it.
With Teras leaders having been elected under the BN ticket, Abdul Karim believed that they subscribed to BN ways and should not be dumped aside just because they had divorced themselves from their former parties.
“This matter is best resolved by the BN top leadership and not by ‘ganging’ up or pointing out through the media how it should be done.”