Jabu: DAP enemy of rural folk

S'WAK POLLS The people of Sarawak especially in the rural areas must reject the DAP in the state election on May 7 because the party is staunchly against rural development planned by the Barisan Nasional government, said Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu.

Describing DAP as an enemy of people living in rural areas, Jabu, who is also PBB deputy president, said various development plans for rural folk by the government including development of Native Customary Rights (NCT) land since 1996 never got the support of the DAP.

"When we develop rural areas, the people who hate rural areas are from the DAP.

"In the state legislative assembly (DUN), I have repeatedly said the DAP suppressed and oppressed the opportunity of NCR land owners from participating in BN poverty eradication programmes," he said at a ceremony to open the national registration department's micro-office for Bario today.

The office was opened by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Elaborating further, Jabu said at the assembly sittings, efforts by Chief Minister Adenan Satem to provide additional allocations for rural development also was objected to by the DAP.

"The DAP is an enemy of rural folk, they do not want to help us to help them. Reject the DAP," he said.

As for PKR, Jabu said the party dragged the Election Commission to court because it was against the redelineation exercise to add 11 new seats, most of which were in the rural areas.

"They do not like to have too many elected representatives from rural areas when in fact many of their members are rural folks, who we helped to become successful," he said.

He said this was the complete opposite of the BN's approach whereby each time the national budget was tabled, allocations for Sabah and Sarawak were increased so that there was balanced development betweeen urban and rural areas.

"The chief minister also always says 'go rural, go rural, go rural'," he said.

Jabu, who is not contesting in this election, also urged Ahmad Zahid and Sarawak Resource Planning and Environment Minister II, Public Utilities Minister and Industrial Development Minister Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, who won uncontested in Bukit Sari, to continue to give attention to the rural people in the state.

Awang Tengah also lambasted the DAP and PKR over the same.

He said not only that, in this election the DAP had the cheek to field many candidates in rural areas while the PKR joined the fray in new seats like Mulu, which is located in the Bario area.

The Mulu seat sees a four-cornered fight with BN's candidate Gerawat Gala who is opposed by candidates from DAP, PKR and an Independent.

- Bernama