(From front left) Fu, Ting, Taib, Raghad, Jamilah, Adenan, Leong, Wong, Awang Tengah and Lau are seen at the event.
SIBU: Members of the Chinese community have been called to give Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem a big mandate to lead Sarawak in the next five years.
Speaking at the United Chinese Association (UCA) Sibu Division Chinese New Year Celebration on Thursday, Second Finance Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh said Adenan had instituted several measures for the benefit of the Chinese community.
“Since you became the Chief Minister of Sarawak, you have demonstrated a zealous determination and an iron will to establish a new hallmark of effective and efficient government,” he said to Adenan.
Wong said since the majority of Chinese voted for the opposition in the last two elections, there had been a greater polarisation of race in politics.
He pointed out that despite being elected representatives for two terms, the opposition had done nothing except to yell at the top of their voices.
Wong said it is time for the Chinese community to reassess their situation and work hard to forge greater unity within Barisan Nasional (BN) to ensure greater Chinese representation in the BN government.
“We should place total trust in our Chief Minister towards problem-solving and the management of our affairs,”
he said.
“As 2016 is the Year of Monkey, the Monkey zodiac sign symbolises the characteristics of a strategist who with his courage, imagination and agility can always find ways to achieve what he sets out to do.
“I am confident our Chief Minister will ride on this momentum of change to bring about all the desirable results for the people of Sarawak,” added Wong.
Meanwhile, the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Kuching Fu Jijun said he would work with UCA to further the friendship and win-win cooperation between China and Sarawak in various fields.
“I am glad to learn that UCA has inherited the outstanding tradition of our forefathers with hard-working, wisdom, attaching importance to business and education, and has been playing an important role not only in promoting economic and social development, ethnic harmony, social charity and public welfare activities for Sarawak, but also making a lot of positive contributions to the friendly relations and mutual beneficial cooperation between China and Sarawak in the economy, trade, education, cultural exchanges and other fields,” he said.
Also present at the event were Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud and his wife Toh Puan Dato Patinggi Raghad Kurdi Taib, Adenan’s wife Datin Patinggi Datuk Jamilah Anu, Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, Temenggong Dato Vincent Lau, Sibu Municipal Council chairman Datuk Tiong Thai King, Sibu Resident Hii Chang Kee, Soon Koh’s wife Datin Sri Pauline Leong, Sarawak UCA president Datuk Dr Wong Aik Loung, Sibu Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) president Hu Yu Siong and UCA Sibu president Ting Huat Chie.