Jaziri acknowledges those in attendance after he was announced as Bersatu Sarawak chairman.
KUCHING: Jaziri Alkaf Abdillah Suffian was yesterday announced as the chairman of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) Sarawak.
The announcement was made during a dialogue session held in conjunction with the ‘Berambeh Bersatu Sarawak 2019’ programme here yesterday which was launched by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is Bersatu national chairman.
An architect by profession, Jaziri, 41, from Kampung Muhibbah is also the party’s Santubong division chief.
He was previously Bersatu Sarawak’s interim secretary.
His appointment as chairman was decided during a party meeting on Aug 29.
In responding to questions posed during the session, Dr Mahathir said the Bersatu leadership was not decided through election but appointment.
He said Bersatu was set up not based on ideology but on the struggle for all Malaysians.
“We want to develop the nation with certain visions. Among them is the ‘Shared Prosperity’ policy,” said Dr Mahathir, adding the government will go all out to implement this latest policy to ensure that everyone in the country would be able to prosper together.
When a party member appealed to the premier to help the Bumiputera community in Sarawak in terms of uplifting their economic status, Dr Mahathir responded: “This is why we have the ‘Shared Prosperity’ policy to ensure that all can catch up.”
He added in response to another question that the party would not forget about the Dayaks in Sarawak, saying the government does not discriminate against any ethnic groups in the country.
Under the Shared Prosperity Vision, the prime minister said people irrespective of their ethnicity would be given the opportunity to grow and prosper.
“They need to grab the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills. Our hope is to bridge the gap of lifestyle among the races.
“The Orang Asli are even more left out compared to the ethnic groups in Sarawak and Sabah.
“We do not discriminate but we know some people are more advanced than others. People who are more advanced, they can help themselves. Those who are behind, we need to give attention.”
He added that it is important for those who have fallen behind to upgrade their capability so that they would be able to make use of the opportunity to progress.