Baru Bian.
KUCHING (Oct 22): Ba Kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian has excoriated the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) over its proposal to set up a sovereign fund for the state as the party had kept silent when it was first mooted by Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How.
He said it was embarrassing to read that SUPP had resolved to urge the state government to set up the fund to “…ensure that the future generations will continue to benefit from the oil and gas revenues even after the depletion of our oil and gas resources”.
The Parti Sarawak Bersatu presidential council member asked if SUPP had just awoken from its slumber due to the anticipated state polls, when it made the proposal as part of its resolution at its party convention last weekend.
“SUPP leaders must be suffering from political amnesia or running out of ideas on how to bring Sarawak to greater heights, despite being in the State Government for the past 47 years with BN (Barisan Nasional) or Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS),” said Baru in a statement today.
He said the state sovereign fund proposal was first mooted by See, who is also a PSB presidential council member, as early as 2014 when he suggested the idea to the then Chief Minister, the late Pehin Sri Adenan Satem.
Baru said See also repeated the call to the State government in September last year, under the current Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
“Not-with-standing the sound of silence from SUPP and GPS Leaders, YB See pressed on and issued another timely call on September 18 this year.
“How do we expect YB See Chee How’s ‘State Sovereign Fund’s seed to sprout, not to mention bear fruit when it keeps falling on GPS aka ex-BN’s arid, unproductive and infertile ‘political soil’ all these years?”
“Whatever happened to ‘Sarawak comes first !’? If ‘I’m in!’ or ‘We’re in!’ Why are they not ‘in’ for this ‘State Sovereign Fund’ by supporting YB See Chee How’s call?
“It’s obvious Sarawak has a problem with the political farmer, not the seed or soil. Yet SUPP leaders now have the audacity to create political drama by using its convention to reinvent the wheel by parroting YB See Chee How’s call with YAB CM Abang Jo agreeing to the
idea, riding on the artificial sweetener that ‘let this (coming state) election makes us stronger’.
“If this isn’t political drama and carrot-dangling, what else is it then?,” said Baru, who is also Selangau MP.
He claimed that GPS was just creating a political drama by making Sarawakians believe it would start something it failed to do when crude oil prices were at sky-high prices back in the 80s and 90s.
“Do we still want to fall for and believe in their ‘but, let this (coming state) election make us
stronger first’ gimmick ?
“Just remember – We can never make the same mistake twice. The second time we make it, it’s no longer a mistake. It’s a choice. For 47 long years, we have lived with the mistake of giving our trust to GPS and ex-BN. Lest we forget, SUPP was, and still is part of this big mistake.
“Enough is enough. PSB and its leaders will not allow this to be repeated. We will bring a new dawn to Sarawak with the radiance of the rising sun. Under Sarawak Baru,” said Baru.