‘Father’ crab not walking straight
By Joseph Tawie, FMT
KUCHING: Chief Minister Taib Mahmud is whistling a different tune lately and it is puzzling the opposition.
Earlier this week, he boldly declared to Sarawakians that there were “equal opportunities for all”; now, the “I have more money than I can spend” billionaire is asking his people to “walk straight” and not be a “crab”.
A bemused Sarawak PKR has likened Taib’s latest comments to a “father crab” trying to teach its offspring to walk straight when he himself is walking sideways.
“How can you tell people to walk straight when you are not doing it yourself?
“You tell people not to take away people’s land, don’t abuse power and not to be corrupted, but you are doing it all yourself,” said Abang Zulkifli Abang Engkeh, Sarawak PKR’s secretary.
He was referring to Taib’s recent condemnation of the “crab culture” prevalent among the Malays.
Taib said that Sarawak rejected the culture of pulling successful people or governments down.
Instead, the state under his administration advocated social and political discipline to progress into a higher income economy and beyond.
“In PBB (Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu), for as long as I am leading the party, I forbid the ‘crab culture’ of politicking although competition is acceptable because political discipline is also part of the needed social discipline,” Taib told community leaders in Limbang.
Taking a swipe at the opposition, he said these parties “had such a mindset.. they are always trying to pull the government down by harping on the shortcomings.”
‘Crab culture‘
Opposition parties, he said, constantly ignored the “development and benefits” the state government brought to the masses.
Responding to Taib’s comments, Zulkilfi said that the “crabs teaching their offspring to walk straight” is far worse than the “crab culture”.
“In BN, there are many ‘father’ crabs which ask their followers to walk straight,” he said.
