Masing ‘really believes’ voters are servant

PRS president James Masing's stubborn streak is likely to backfire on him in his Baleh constituency come the next general election.

KUCHING: Senior Sarawak Minister James Masing has three day to retract his ‘jangan lawan towkay’ statement made in defense of a controversial decision by Assistant Minister Mong Dagang against a disabled farmer.

Issuing the ultimatum in a letter to Masing, who is Parti Rakyat Sarawak president, yesterday, Sarawak DAP treasurer Violet Yong said Masing “really believes” that he is the boss and voters are servants.

Said Yong: “His (Masing) refusal to apologise or retract his statement could only mean one thing that he really believes that he is the boss.

“We from DAP believe that the voters are the towkay and the ministers are merely acting as managers to ensure all the country’s wealth entrusted to them by the people through the ballot papers are properly managed for the people’s benefit.

“Come general election, we will tell the people, especially the voters in Baleh (Masing’s constituency) that they are Masing’s servants.”

Yong, who led the DAP Youth wing (Dapsy), and Padungan assemblyman Wong King Wei, yesterday to Masing’s office in Bangunan Baitulmakmur and handed over a letter demanding that Masing retract his comment.

“In the letter we also strongly protest against PRS vice-president Mong Dagang, who is Assistant Minister of Agriculture (Research and Marketing) instructing the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Welfare to withdraw subsidies and welfare allowance given to a handicapped person Frusis Lebi just because he openly supported the opposition in last election, and Masing’s statement warning Lebi that he should follow the rule of life ‘jangan lawan boss’.

“In the letter we gave Masing three days to apologise to show that he is sincere and a responsible minister,” said Yong, who is Pending assemblywoman.

‘DAP’s political stunt’

Yong also urged other BN leaders to speak up if they believed Masing and Dagang had said and done something terribly wrong.

Masing was reported to have refused to be dragged into the issue, describing it as DAP’s political stunt.

“I am not interested in responding to the political stunt,” he was quoted as saying.

Masing’s ‘jangan lawan towkay’ remark and the withdrawal of subsidies and welfare allowance to Lebi have shocked the nation and put PRS in a bad light.

The Bandar Kuching MP Chong Chieng Jen, who is the Sarawak DAP secretary, has brought the issue to Parliament, which began its sitting yesterday.