PKR new Vice President shows his political skills
PKR Sarawak is hot on the trial to do the unthinkable – capture Sarawak from the BN after almost five decades. After its historical direct election that is now inked on Malaysian political history, PKR has moved forward to fill the many positions by appointments. Sarawak PKR has seen a few of that.
Those receiving publicity centers around the re-appointed State Liaison Chairman and renowned native land rights lawyer, Baru Bian. But it is the appointment of an unknown, John Tenewi Nuek ( Photo Above ) as Vice President that caught many by surprise – it is more appropriate to say “confirmation” that Anwar Ibrahim still has lots of UMNO/BN in him. It is obvious that leaders do not have to have a track record of serving the people to be appointed to top posts, as the PKR appointment of the new Vice President confirms. It may as well be a BN appointment. After all, the UMNO/BN is famous for even perfecting such practice.
But beyond the appointment of people without track record to high position, it leaves to speculation that Anwar is still playing the racial card in Sarawak, just as he did in Sabah. How else to explain that of all the four Sarawakian appointees – Vice President (John), Sarawak Liaison Chief (Baru), MPP (Chee How and Zulrusdi Mohamad Hol) – only two have public records (just Google) of serving the rakyat in Sarawak irrespective of race, religion and gender and beyond party/electoral mean – Baru Bian and See Chee How ( Photo below ).
As the saying goes, you can take Anwar out of UMNO/BN but it is another thing to take UMNO/BN out of that person!
Questions for the new VP John Tenewi Nuek
Unless I am being lumped into the factions within the PKR Sarawak for such categorizing of the new Vice President, a rather typical reaction from those who rely solely on political cronyism and nepotism to rise (and fall), l should place on record the new Vice President’s “BN-Government-serving” record as Malaysia’s ambassador to too many countries and too irrelevant to be named here. There is none which points to Sarawak’s marginalized and oppressed people being represented. The new VP even said he “served the BN government” during his time in the civil service!
As such, he joins the countless former BN-rewarded civil servants who ‘is critical of Taib.’ “Being normal lah for disgruntled retirees who criticize after they are out of service” was how an activist academician puts it. “After all, even UMNO can be critical of Taib, so no big deal lah!”
The new VP is emerging from retiring now, it seems. With his new appointment, he needs to. So in probably the first since his appointment, see what the new VP said, as is quoted:
“As an ambassador, I served the BN government, and at one stage it was with full conviction and I was proud of it.
“But I have observed that the BN government has deteriorated.”
So the new VP had no problem with the BN government when he was serving under Mahathir? So it is only after Mahathir that the BN Government had deteriorated? Mahathir must be so very pleased with his loyalist in the new PKR VP!
John goes on, “For example, you must defend government policies, especially on ISA, explain to other diplomats Anwar Ibrahim’s ‘black eyes’, Mahathir Mohamad’s remarks on ‘shoot on sight’ rather than the word ‘shoo’ against the Vietnamese refugees, Bruno Mansur’s presence in Malaysia and on environment and so on.”
Can the former ambassador and new PKR VP share with all, especially Anwar, how he explained to others of Anwar’s ‘black eyes’? Did the then ambassador echoed Mahathir’s stance and the extent to which the Royal Commission had concluded showed the then PM lied? Did the then ambassador ‘lied’ in trying to defend the Mahathir BN administration’s cover-up and the extent in which public officers, like him supposedly serving the BN Government, doctored reports, and manufactured evidence just to try to convict Anwar? Surely the then ambassador can’t be holding on to any differing explanation other than that of the almighty Mahathir and his BN Government when “explaining” to other countries. To explain any differently to what Mahathir’s BN Government was trying to hide would be going against the very BN Governement that the then ambassador was serving. Certainly that can’t be the case?
