KUCHING: Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem should go beyond making public statements and start putting his words into action.
In stating this, Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How See said Sarawakians were eager for a more transparent, accountable, democratic, and equal Sarawak for all Sarawakians.
“Make no mistake about it. Sarawak’s chief minister of the last eight months has been most impressive, to the public, at least.
“He is echoing decades old concerns of Sarawakians and expressed his views that many politicians in his camp were either too afraid to voice out for fear of offending their ‘big brothers’ in Umno.
“Adenan is unlike some federal cabinet members from Sarawak, who have no qualms of being made mouthpieces of the Umno-led administration,” See said at the launching of two new books – ‘The Peaceful People’ and ‘Money Logging’ – here yesterday.
See, also a land rights lawyer and state PKR vice-chairman, said Adenan should call off all licences issued over the remaining virgin jungles in Baram and Limbang if he was really serious about conserving the forests and stopping illegal logging.
“We have heard from our Penan friends that what was happening before is still continuing today.”
See said Adenan should also scrap the proposed dam projects in Baram and Limbang if he was really concerned about the plight of the local indigenous people.
While complimenting Adenan for the integrity pledge, See noted that Adenan was a loner in this endeavour when he left his government’s integrity in the hands of his cabinet colleagues.
“How can he leave the integrity pledges of his administration to all his cabinet ministers? It gives the impression and most concrete evidence that he has no power over his cabinet ministers.”
See said he would be sending the two books, autographed by the authors Paul Malone and Lukas Straumann, to Adenan soon.
“I’m hopeful these two books are timely reminders to the chief minister that he should not go down in Sarawak history as the chief minister who is a follower, loner, and powerless leader of this great Sarawak.
“He should instead quickly take charge, be a commander of his state administration, and let his leadership shine through the past regime and return the beauty and wealth back to fair land Sarawak.”
Meanwhile, Paul said through interviewing many people for his book ‘The peaceful people’, the first thing that stuck him was the Penan’s persistence in their battle for the forests and the Penan’s forbearance.
Lukas, who authored ‘Money logging’, said he was very happy that the Penans was still defending their traditional land and lifestyle in the interior.