Senior PBB leader defends controversial circular to community leaders

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KUCHING: Community leaders in the state are appointed and paid monthly allowances by the Sarawak government and are therefore employees of the state bound by circulars and directives by the state government.

“It’s not the federal government which pays them allowances. Remember that Pakatan Harapan Sarawak representatives may lie to some people all the time but they will not be able to continue lying to all the people all the time. The truth will prevail all in good time,” said Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) supreme council member Dato Ahmad Ibrahim.

Dato Ahmad Ibrahim

PBB is the backbone component party of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).

Ahmad was reacting to the debate in the media on whether it was right and proper for the State Secretary Office to issue a circular asking community leaders not to attend any activities organised by the PH federal government.

Ahmad said he also believed that the circular was a Sarawak Cabinet decision and not solely that of the State Secretary Tan Sri Morshidi Abdul Ghani.

“The thing about it (is that) the federal government through its agencies like Information Department had stopped assisting GPS state YBs (elected representatives) and the state government agencies. The PH government even had stopped contributing to state community leaders’ allowances. So what do you think we should do? And yet PH Sarawak YBs still want to use Sarawak state-funded facilities like the Dewan Suarah (Civic Centres) and organise programmes there and insisting that PH YBs to officiate. Why would we allow that? When they started all this ‘Hu Ha’ tit-for- tat”. We won’t want our state community leaders to be involved with PH Sarawak programmes unless they are Federal Ministry programmes attended by Federal ministers. We do not want them to use our state-funded facilities like the Dewan Suarah and village community halls to (cater to) their whims and fancy without being honest and fair to us GPS.”

He pointed out that GPS is friendly to the federal government but that does not give the PH Sarawak YBs the right to “step on their face(s)” and propagate lies to the people.

“If PH Sarawak YBs say GPS is being childish and unfair in utilising tax payers money then what about our projects for rural schools which have been approved (but) suddenly cancelled with stupid reasoning “no money” but Finance Ministry just approve a number of school projects in Penang as per mentioned in the papers,” he said.

“Put aside our political divide and views and continue fighting for our beloved Sarawak and the people(‘s) rights for the better. Fight for continuous allocation, funding or projects to benefit state as a whole. Think about it, many city councils in Sarawak are managed by GPS-appointed councillors but none of us ever issue stop order on repairing damage roads, sealing potholes or repairing broken drains or collecting garbage or cutting grass among other things in areas now held by PH recently or even previously.”

“As we service GPS areas we also continue servicing PH or DAP areas. Isn’t that being a good Sarawakian first? Politics aside and putting common interest, we must value and fight jointly against the injustice to the state. Remember “power by the people, for the people” of Sarawak. Use that power wisely to develop, modernise and protect our Sarawak,” said Ahmad.