My comments on resignation of DAP’s state assemblyman for Padungan

A lot had been said about the recent resignation of Democratic Action Party (DAP) state assemblyman for its Padungan, Wong King Wei who had call it a day.

Thank you to our media friends who asked my views on this matter which I opined that Wong’s resignation must be due to some decisions made in the party that are against his conscience or principles. There must have been some really big problems in the party to lead to his actions.

I also can see that Wong is able to witness something definitely not right in the party and that must have driven him to quit the party.

I opined Wong should come to the open with what truly happened in the party. Only members of DAP will know the events and happenings inside the party, thus it would be good for Wong to spell out the problems he faces from the party so that Sarawakians can judge for themselves.

We do not want the leaders of these parties to speak only nice things to the people or the gallery, saying that they will fight for the people and the state, but doing otherwise behind the scene.

Declining to be renominated as DAP Padungan candidate, Wong had announced his resignation from the party on July 26 and said he had to announce the resignation now as the Sarawak election is around the corner.

He had also expressed his disappointment over DAP’s refusal to listen to any dissenting voice and lack of inclusivity in opinion and viewpoints as well as the party’s failure to fulfil its promises when it was helming the government for 22 months.

I believed that for one of the party leaders to quit meant a loss of confidence in the party and it strongly reflected that the party’s direction may be questionable.

If this is how the leaders within the state DAP are looking at the present management, it’s for all Sarawakians to see whether DAP Sarawak really has the capability to become a good party representing the people.

Even among themselves within the party have lost hope and have become disillusional with their own leadership, what more for Sarawakians who are not in the know of what’s going on. Wong has been a professional and great opposition leader.

I all the best wishes for Wong and not for him to retire completely from the political scene but perhaps to continue voicing out the concerns of the people as a legislator since the latter has deep feelings for Sarawakians in general.

It will be good for him to maybe continue his contribution to the state in other capacities whether its through NGOs or other political parties.

Sorotan kunjungan hormat ke Kementerian Pelancongan, Kesenian dan Kebudayaan Malaysia (MOTAC)

Bagi pihak kementerian, saya mengucapkan ribuan terima kasih kepada Kementerian Pelancongan, Seni dan Budaya (MOTAC) yang akan berbincang dengan Kementerian Pengangkutan mengenai permintaan Kerajaan Sarawak untuk melanjutkan permit bas persiaran dari 12 kepada 15 tahun. 

Ini dinyatakan oleh Menteri MOTAC, YB Dato Seri Hajah Nancy Shukri mengenai permintaan Sarawak agar tempoh permit itu bersamaan dengan Semenanjung Malaysia sekarang ini. Inisiatif ini akan dapat membantu negeri kita dalam merancakkan sektor pelancongan tempatan, maka perbincangan akan kami lanjutkan dengan Kementerian Pengangkutan.

Saya bersyukur kunjungan kami telah diadakan di Akademi Seni Budaya dan Warisan Kebangsaan (ASWARA) baru baru ini telah diterima baik  dan dalam mesyuarat yang berlangsung telah menyaksikan kedua-dua pihak berbincang mengenai pelbagai perkara dan masalah yang melibatkan ekopelancongan, warisan dan kebudayaan.

YB Dato Seri Nancy turut berkata, bagi meringankan masalah kekurangan pemandu pelancong berlesen di Sarawak pula, kerajaan bersetuju untuk membantu kita-kira 20 peserta untuk menghadiri latihan dalam industri pelancongan secara percuma.

Beliau juga berkata Sarawak mempunyai banyak produk pelancongan dan kraf tangan yang boleh diketengahkan bagi membantu merancakkan ekonomi negara terutama untuk pelancongan domestik selepas kejatuhan teruk sektor pelancongan akibat COVID19.

MOTAC menjangkakan sektor pelancongan, kesenian dan kebudayaan negara akan mula pulih secara berperingkat mulai tahun depan... ini berdasarkan kepada sambutan pelancong tempatan untuk melancong dalam negara ketika ini termasuk ke Sarawak.

Dalam pada itu, saya telah mengatakan bahawa industri pelancongan negeri Sarawak kini bertumpu kepada pelancongan domestik untuk memulakan langkah pemulihan mereka, justeru berharap dapat bekerjasama lebih rapat dengan kerajaan pusat agar dapat menarik lebih ramai pelancong tempatan.

DAP Sarawak & pendirian mereka yang sentiasa berubah

Sebagai Naib Presiden Parti Bersatu Bumiputera (PBB), saya telah mengkritk DAP Sarawak yang sentiasa mengubah pendiriannya semata mata ingin mengikuti sentimen masyarakat dengan harapan untuk meraih undi.

Ketidaktentuan DAP Sarawak mengenai pemilihan calon perdana menteri Malaysia sekiranya Pakatan Harapan (PH) memenangi kembali kuasa Kerajaan Persekutuan seolah olah menunjukkan bahawa mereka sanggup menyokong seseorang dari sebuah negeri Borneo untuk menjadi perdana menteri seterusnya demi mendapatkan sokongan daripada pengundi tempatan.

Pada bulan Februari lalu, ketua DAP Sarawak YB Chong Chieng Jen telah menyatakan sokongannya kepada presiden PKR Anwar Ibrahim untuk menjadi perdana menteri, tetapi kemudian mengatakan parti itu akan menyokong Shafie Apdal dari parti Warisan.
DAP Sarawak telah berubah pendiriannya begitu saja kerana ingin mengikuti sentimen wilayah untuk menyokong seseorang dari sebuah negeri Borneo untuk menjadi perdana menteri seterusnya dan berharap mendapat sokongan dari para pengundi.
Ini juga untuk menunjukkan sokongannya kepada DAP Sabah, yang berada dalam pemerintahan Sabah sekarang.

Sebelum ini, YB Chong pernah mengatakan bahawa DAP nasional telah menyatakan sokongannya kepada Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim untuk menjadi calon perdana menteri, dan beliau sendiri telah menyambut baik kenyataan ini.

Sekarang, YB Chong telah berubah pendirian dan telah memberikan sokongannya kepada YB Dato Seri Shafie sebagai perdana menteri PH seterusnya. Ini menunjukkan keadaan pemimpin DAP Sarawak yang "keliru" dan tidak dapat memutuskan calon mana yang akan disokong.
Pada bulan Februari lalu di sebuah majlis untuk menyambut kedatangan Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim ke Sarawak, YB Chong mengatakan bahawa agenda utama parti adalah untuk beliau (Anwar) menjadi perdana menteri seterusnya dan inilah sebabnya mengapa DAP Sarawak memutuskan untuk mengundang Anwar ke acara ini untuk menunjukkan sokongan mereka.

Namun, kemudian, YB Chong telah mengatakan bahawa DAP Sarawak kini akan menyokong Dato Seri Shafie, sambil menambah bahawa sebagai rakyat Malaysia Timur, tidak ada alasan mengapa mereka tidak harus menyokong sesama rakyat Malaysia Timur sebagai perdana menteri di masa depan.

Program Jelajah Belia Sarawak bukan tujuan politik

Saya ingin menegaskan bahawa Program Jelajah Belia Sarawak yang dianjur dan ditujukan khas kepada golongan belia kita bukanlah kempen politik. Ini adalah kerana ia bertujuan menjaga kepentingan golongan belia yang merupakan aset dan tonggak masa depan negara.

Program ini telahpun diadakan sejak tahun lepas dan ia bukanlah bertujuan untuk kempen atau berpolitik. 

Saya telah menyatakan perkara ini pada perasmian Jelajah Belia Sarawak 2020@Daro di Dewan Masyarakat Daro yang berlangsung pada 18 Julai lalu. 

Antara yang perlu dipatuhi ketika program ini diadakan adalah ketiadaan bendera-bendera politik.

Ia bagi mengelakkan program itu dikatakan melibatkan hal berkaitan politik.

Program sedemikian ini akan memberi faedah kepada golongan belia  dalam membentuk acuan yang terbaik di kalangan belia sekali gus menjadikan belia sebagai entiti berkualiti.

Aspirasi golongan belia juga perlu diketahui dan dijaga melalui program seumpama ini. Belia jugalah yang bakal membentuk negeri dan negara pada masa depan. 

Sementara itu, saya mengucapkan ribuan terima kasih kepada ADUN N43 Daro iaitu YB Encik Safiee Haji Ahmad yang juha merupakan salah seorang belia di daerah ini yang berjaya.

Malah, saya percaya YB Safiee bakal melakar perjalanan politik yang lebih panjang dan berjaya selepas ini.

Saya turut kagum dengan beliau (Safiee), kerana antara sifatnya adalah membuat sesuatu perkara dengan seteliti mungkin.

Perkara itu bukan sahaja merangkumi tugas tugas beliau sebagai wakil rakyat sahaja, namun dalam Pertubuhan Belia Kebangsaan Bersatu Sarawak (SABERKAS) dan lain-lain dimana kini YB Safiee menyandang jawatan sebagai Setiausaha Agung kami.

Safiee kini menyandang jawatan Setiausaha Agung merangkap pengerusi cawangan daerah ini.

Oleh sebab itu katanya, saya sangat percaya Safiee akan mempunyai peluang dan masa depan cerah dalam karier politiknya.

Pada masa sama saya turut menyatakan tiada satu pun pihak yang menyangkal kepentingan golongan belia.

Oleh sebab itu katanya, program diadakan bagi mendekati golongan itu yang merupakan tonggak serta masa depan negeri dan negara.

Selain memelihara kesinambungan kepimpinan masa depan, kehendak serta kemahuan golongan belia juga perlu diketahui dan sedaya-upaya untuk dipenuhi.

Putrajaya should not force federal village committee system on Sarawak

Recently I have expressed hope for Putrajaya to reconsider its plan to enforce the Village Development and Security Committee or JPKK system in Sarawak. Being the Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) vice-president, I have mentioned Sarawak should not be included in the JPKK system without the State government’s agreement.

My comment follows the recent announcement by Rural Development Minister, YB Abdul Latiff Ahmad on July 9 which stated that the Federal Village Community Management Council (MPKKP) would be improvised and rebranded as the JPKK.

YB Abdul Latiff had also said the JPKK would be enforced in 10 states, including Sarawak. Previously, the MPKKP was established by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government to replace the Village Security and Development Committee (JKKK) in the country and Sarawak had resisted the implementation of MPKKP because we insisted on adopting the existing JKKK system instead.

We Sarawak leaders had claimed the implementation of MPKKP was “purely political” and would disunite the people. It was the role of any government of the day to ensure unity among the nation’s subjects. If the federal government’s action and policy can lead to division and confusion then it should relook these.

Bulldozing its way into Sarawak and establishing a committee to oversee the management of villages and settlements when there is already an existing state committee doing that under the name of JKKK will confuse the people in the villages and longhouses.

Can you imagine the damage done if we have two heads managing a longhouse or village – one appointed by the state authority and another by the federal authority? That is the very reason why the state government objected to the formation of MPKKP in Sarawak.

As such, the proposed JPKK it would only lead to confusion and disunity among the people if the current federal government continued to set up the JPKK because the existing JKKK system is effective in managing the longhouses and villages.

Swapping of seats could be optional

Recently the idea of swapping of seats among political parties in Sarawak could be an option if voters have lost faith in the respective parties.

I have expressed my personal views and opinions on this matter to our media friends from New Sarawak Tribune in which voters had indicated that they would not give their support if a party was still given the exclusive right to put forward only their candidates.

In politics…the ones to determine who should be the representative are the people or the voters. Even if any party stakes a claim on any seat as their ‘traditional’ seat to contest in, that does not guarantee voters will vote for them.

I had mentioned these when the media has asked to the recent comments by Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) president Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing who viewed that banking on ‘traditional seats’ alone would spell trouble for Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) in the state election.

YB Datuk Sri Tiong had also suggested that ‘seat-swapping’ could be done among GPS components to ensure the coalition would nominate only the best among the list of potential candidates for the seat.

Meanwhile, our PBB Youth chief YB Gerald Rentap Jabu had also agreed with YB Datuk Sri Tiong and most importantly, the GPS candidate must be winnable.

When asked whether he would forego his seat to other component parties should seat-swapping was needed, he said if that was the decision from the leadership, YB Gerald said he would oblige.

“Let the party and grassroots determine the candidate. What is more important is that we give our best service to the people,” said YB Gerald who is also Layar State assemblyman.

Read more at: https://www.newsarawaktribune.com.my/seat-swap-why-not/