What Is DAP Sarawak’s Agenda?

It is obvious to Sarawakians that YB Chong Chieng Jen has been intent on picking a fight with PKR Sarawak since July last year. At that time, they accused our Chairman of not having an unequivocal stand on the implementation of hudud when it was a well-known fact that YB Baru had in fact made his stand very clear on at least 2 occasions before then. When that excuse was proved to be an embarrassing untruth, YB Chong accused our party of greedily wanting to contest in 50 seats in the next elections when we had merely proposed that for the purposes of a baseline for seat negotiations, the 3 parties start from the seats we contested in the last state elections. We were very disappointed that YB Chong saw fit to disclose the proceedings of our meeting without our consent, and in fact, twisted the facts to suit his purposes.

Let us be clear that YB Chong had declared that DAP would no longer have anything to do with PKR even before the Kelantan government passed their Hudud Law Bill on 19 March this year. Our Chairman had said on numerous occasions that DAP and PKR knew all along that hudud law was an agenda of PAS ever since the party came into existence, but the coalition was agreed to nevertheless. YB Baru has also said that hudud was never an agenda of Pakatan Raykat and he has made his stand against the implementation of hudud very clear, to the point of submitting a private member’s motion in the State Assembly in April this year that hudud should never be implemented in Sarawak.

On our part, we have always been consistent in our principles and our stand on the issues facing the raykat. We have never lost sight of the fact that the BN is our opposition, and not DAP. This brings us to a question that has been burning in the minds of many Sarawakians. On 15 March this year, YB Chong had offered Sarawak BN the option of forming a unity government with PR once Putrajaya is won by Pakatan Rakyat. As expected YB Chong’s statement was rejected by the state BN leaders. However, we would like YB Chong to explain his invitation to the Sarawak BN to form a unity government so that we fully understand what he plans he has for Sarawak. What was he hoping to achieve by that invitation and what role would the Sarawak BN have in his Unity Government?

After being rebuffed by the Sarawak BN, in April this year, YB Chong asked PKR Sarawak to leave PR and form a new alliance with DAP. He had chosen to cut off ties with us for dubious reasons and then he wanted to talk to us again, which is rather puzzling.

When his overture to PKR met with no response, YB Chong grasped at another reason to train his guns on us, accusing PKR of not moving in the rural areas, and therefore his DAP has to step in to save the rural community. All we have to say to that is, perhaps he should take care of his own backyard before passing judgment on others and belittling their efforts. PKR has been working hard to engage with and build relationships with the rural communities for many years and is continuing to do so.

Finally, if DAP is so keen to help the rural community, why have their lawyers not taken up the fight for NCR to defend the lands of the indigenous people? In fact, perhaps YB Chong can explain why some DAP lawyers are acting for timber and plantation companies in NCR cases. There is no point trumpeting about championing the cause of the rural community when you do not address the core issue that affects them, and that is their rights to land, but worse still, act against their interest. What DAP is doing seems to echo BN’s patronising tactic of giving the people projects but at the same time enable others to deprive them of their lands, which are the people’s life and blood.

PKR hopes that DAP will cease baiting PKR for this is not a playground fight between schoolchildren. We must always bear in mind that we are in this battle for the good of the people of Sarawak, and not to feed our egos.

Nicholas Bawin
Secretary, PKR Sarawak.