Azmin shaking hands with a PKR Mambong member upon his arrival at the function in Siburan.
KUCHING: Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali has urged for a halt to labelling PKR as a ‘West Malaysian political party’.
The Gombak MP and Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman stressed further that being a national-level party, PKR could provide influence as far as policies by the federal government were concerned, citing the impending Goods and Services Tax (GST) and civil service appointments as among those policies.
“The GST was approved by the federal government; not the state government. State-based political parties such as PBB has no power (over the issue). The one having power is a national party (like PKR). Our stand is that there should not be any tax that could burden the people.
“Having said this, we want GST to be abolished for the benefit of the needy, including those in Sarawak,” Azmin, who is also PKR deputy president, said when officiating at PKR Mambong Election Operations Room in Siburan near here yesterday.
Azmin also rubbished the claim saying that PKR wanted to ‘conquer’ Sarawak, stressing that the party aimed to help Sarawakians, as demonstrated when the Selangor state administration under PKR sent help to the Mambong folk when the area was badly affected by flood.
“The one trying to ‘conquer’ Sarawak is actually Umno. I was informed by Baru Bian (Ba Kelalan assemblyman and state PKR chairman) that 80 per cent of senior government officers and heads of department in Sarawak are those from Peninsular Malaysia.
“Are there no Sarawakians qualified for such posts here? This is really an insult to Sarawakians.”
In his call on youths across the state to be brave enough in bringing changes, Azmin said their failure to do just that in future elections would result in the people continuing to suffer from badly-implemented policies.
“I do not come here (to Sarawak) because I want to be a candidate. The candidates (in future state elections) are people like Baru Bian and Willie Mongin (PKR Mambong chairman), who are all Sarawakians,” he said, reiterating PKR’s principle of fairness for all races.
The unveiling of PKR Mambong Election Operations Room was also attended by state PKR deputy chairman Abang Zulkifli Abang Engkeh, as well as its vice chairmen See Chee How, Ali Biju and Boniface Willy Tumek.