ABANG Johari Openg might not say, it but he implicitly supported the S4S slogan, “Sarawak for Sarawakians”, when he told a major Chinese community grouping that “only Sarawakians can determine the destiny of Sarawak”.
The chief minister said national-based parties, like DAP and “even Umno”, cannot determine what Sarawakians want or fight for “what is rightfully ours”.
“Other people cannot (fight for what we want because) it’s not their home,” he said at the Federation of Chinese Associations dinner in Kuching last night.
Abang Johari was referring to the most talked about topics in the state – the autonomy of Sarawak, oil and gas rights, and the returns of rights lost or eroded under the Malaysia Agreement.
It was also a response to Pakatan Harapan’s election manifesto for Sarawak and Sabah, where the opposition pact promised to increase oil royalties for the two Borneo states from 5% to 20%, and returning to the state government autonomy on education, healthcare and revenue resources.
But Abang Johari said Sarawak could get stronger if the state’s second largest ethnic group stays together, in a nudge to the two Chinese-based parties – the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), and splinter group the United People’s Party (UPP), which comprises SUPP former members who lost the 2013 party election.
Abang Johari urged UPP to disband and its members to rejoin SUPP.
“If UPP rejoins SUPP, not only will Sarawak be stronger, the Chinese community will also be stronger.”
He said SUPP and UPP members should learn the lessons from the experience of his party, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB).
He said UPP president Wong Soon Koh and SUPP’s Dr Sim Kui Hian should follow his example in the 2014 PBB transition of power, when former chief minister Taib Mahmud decided to step down.
Earlier, the president of the association, Richard Wee urged SUPP and UPP “to unite as one and create a single strong voice for the Chinese community”.
Wee said the Chinese community is feeling the strain of the political division between the two parties since the last state election.
He said it had also weakened the position of the Chinese participation in the state government.
– https://www.themalaysianinsight.com
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