SIBU: PKR Kanowit branch secretary Thomas Laja yesterday refuted PRS president Tan Sri Dr James Masing’s notion that Sarawak should only be ruled by Sarawak-based parties.
He said this was insensitive and anyone who made such a statement was not taking the interests of Sarawakians into consideration.
“Whether or not Sarawak is best governed by Sarawak-based parties is best left to the people of Sarawak to decide,” he said at a press conference.
With him at the press conference were PKR Lanang division chairman George Chen and secretary Lim Hin Chin.
Thomas was referring to the recent statement made by PRS president Tan Sri Dr James Masing that Sarawak was best governed by Sarawak-based political parties.
Masing had also mentioned that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) was free to spread its ideology in Sarawak but at the end of the day, Sarawakians must realise that all the three component parties of PR, namely PKR, DAP and PAS were Semananjung-based and did not have the interests of the local people at heart.
By making that statement, the minister had neglected the people’s trust in him, Thomas deduced.
“Yes, the people respect him but he should know what he is talking about. By making such a sensitive statement, he showed his true colour.”
Thomas said Sabah used to be governed by Sabahans themselves but history took a twist, and today, Umno, a peninsula-based party, was governing the state.
“What has he to say about this peninsula-based party governing Sabah then?” he questioned.
Thomas said Masing’s statement also contradicted sharply with the 1Malaysia policy propagated by the prime minister.
“In Malaysia, any political party can rule any state so long as the party can gain the people’s support.”
Thomas said one of the obvious reasons why Sarawakians should support the PR coalition was the inability of the Sarawak-based parties to solve the many problems that the people faced.
He cited the construction of the road linking Sibu to Kapit as one glaring example.
“The earth-breaking ceremony for the road project was held in Kanowit way back in 1998, but until now there is no sign that the road is being constructed.”