KUCHING: The state Barisan Nasional (BN) will not fall for DAP’s desperate rhetoric to form a so-called ‘Coalition Government’ after the opposition party pulled out of Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in the state yesterday.
According to the state BN secretary-general Datuk Dr Stephen Rundi Utom, if the state BN were to accept the suggestion made by the DAP, it would betray the existing trust and bonds which has been existed and cemented among the state BN component parties – namely PBB, SUPP, PRS and SPDP and two BN friendly parties UPP and Teras.
“The state BN has its own ways of doing things. We will never work with the opposition such as the DAP. It’s not that we are arrogant. I said this based on the fact that we are commanding a two-thirds majority of the 71 seats in the State Legislative Assembly,” he told The Borneo Post here yesterday.
He reiterated that the state BN would continue to work with the BN federal government to rule the country and at the same time fight for the rights of the state.
“Our loyalty to the BN should never be questioned at both the state and federal level. But at the same time, we will continue to fight for the rights of our state as has been done by the current leadership led by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem.
“This include the continued negotiation for the 20 per cent oil royalty from the federal government where we have been successful in securing RM2.1 billion worth of contracts from Petronas, which will be awarded to Sarawakians,” said Dr Rundi.
Describing DAP’s statement as an expression of mere ‘rhetorics and political desperation’, Dr Rundi said the statement has nothing to do with the state BN.
Dr Rundi was responding to state’s DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen’s suggestion yesterday of continuing to work with PKR and proposing to state BN on the formation a coalition government that “is not BN and not PR to save Sarawak and protect our (Sarawak’s) Constitution”.
Meanwhile, state PKR chairman Baru Bian reiterated that PR was founded on a common policy framework, in which hudud as advocated by PAS was not part of it. He reiterated the party’s stand that it would not join DAP Sarawak in leaving PR.
“It is unfortunate that DAP Sarawak has resolved to leave PR. We have made our stance very clear from the beginning and we have repeated and reiterated PKR Sarawak’s stance against the implementation of hudud in Malaysia.
“As a responsible party in Sarawak, we have also resolved to seek the passing of a motion at the forthcoming Sarawak state Assembly sitting to safeguard Sarawak from the implementation of hudud, to protect the sanctity of our Federal Constitution, the Constitution of the State of Sarawak, the Malaysian Agreement and the overall rights and interests of all Sarawakians,” he stressed.