WE HAVE DREAMS: Baru (second right) speaking at the press conference, accompanied by (from left) state PKR election committee chairperson Abang Zulkifli Engkeh, state PKR vice-chairman See Chee How and state PKR secretary Lynette Tan.
KUCHING: There is nothing wrong in dreaming and having visions of a better future for the people and country.
“People must have dreams and visions, otherwise how to plan for a better future? We have aspirations and inspirations for a better future for the rakyat and we want the rakyat to dream together with us,” said state PKR chairman Baru Bian in a press conference yesterday.
He was responding to a recent comment by the Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal that PKR’s aspiration to win seats in the coming general election was merely a dream.
“It is not for Shafie to say whether the dream will be achieved or not. We should leave it to the rakyat to decide. We have a vision for a better Malaysia for Malaysians, especially Sarawakians,” he said.
Baru stressed that it was important for leaders to be truthful and voice the wishes of the people.
“The emergence of voices such as that of (Datuk Dr) James Dawos, who took the Forestry Department to task for issuing the timber licences in the Bengoh resettlement area, is an encouraging sign that the voices of the people cannot be silenced.
“I commend James Dawos for his courage and I urge him to look further up the chain of command and confront the people who ordered or sanctioned the issuance of those licences.
“On the same note, I would like to ask other BN leaders to do the same, that is to be bold and courageous enough to raise issues of a similar nature within their constituencies and not just doing it for the sake of the coming election,” he said.
Baru, who is also Ba Kelalan assemblyman, pointed out that the people were more informed now, compared to the past, when messages did not reach the grassroots easily.
He cited the Bakun, Bengoh and proposed Baram dams as areas where the government had made many promises but was yet to fulfil them.
“I urge Sarawakians in areas that are yet to be affected to bear in mind what happened to people in those areas.
“We give the assurance to all Sarawakians that if Pakatan Rakyat is in power, we will stop all those dams that are being planned but not yet built as there are really too much, an oversupply,” he said.
Baru said Pakatan Rakyat’s vision is to offer the ‘politics of hope for the future’ to the people.
“I believe the people are now in a better position to judge for themselves and they will vote accordingly,” he said.
Meanwhile on a separate note, Baru announced that the party had managed to collect a total donation of RM1,410 for victims of the June 13 fire at Kampung Rembus, Kota Samarahan, which claimed three lives.