Misery for the people, luxury for BN leaders
Sarawak’s wealthy BN leaders from Taib Mahmud’s Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu and its coalition partners, have done nothing to improve the lives of the poor Dayaks.
(Free Malaysia Today) – Self-indulgent Barisan Nasional leaders in Sarawak have no business warning the Dayaks to steer away from DAP simply because it is a Peninsula-based party.
Mordi Bimol, a special assistant to DAP’s Kota Sentosa assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen, said although Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) party had ruled Sarawak, in collaboration with its other BN partners, for more than 40 years, “nothing has changed”.
“Although Sarawak has voted PBB and its partners for the past 40 years, nothing has changed. Why are so many people still poor? What have the BN done?
“Look at some of the outskirts of Kuching where you can find people still living in misery and poverty, while BN leaders not only live in luxury, but keep on enriching themselves.
“They live in big houses, use big cars and even their gates are worth more than RM100,000,” said Bimol, who is one of the Dayak potential candidates of DAP.
He is likely to contest the Mas Gading seat, where BN is under tremendous pressure due to strife within Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP).
Mordi was responding to Mambong MP and Deputy Tourism Minister James Dawos Mamit’s warning to the Bidayuhs in his constituency to avoid Peninsula-based DAP which was trying to influence Bidayuhs in his constituency of Mambong.
Dawos is a member of the PBB.
“For me and many others it is not important that DAP is a Peninsula-based party. What is most important is DAP’s struggle in fighting for all races be they Chinese, Malays or Dayaks,” Mordi said.
As the backbone of the BN state government, PBB has ruled Sarawak for more than 40 years.
“Why should we support this type of party (PBB), even though it is a local party, if its leaders are grabbing people’s native customary rights (NCR) land?” he asked.
“What has Dawos got to say to that?” he asked.
People’s money
Last Thursday, Dawos, who is apparently worried about DAP’s influence, urged his constituency to continue to stand solidly behind the BN.
DAP’s branch in the constituency has received good response from the Bidayuh community.
Dawit said DAP was trying to influence the people with its promises, but he believed the community was wise enough to know that DAP was a Peninsula-based political party.
“DAP must first prove itself able to deliver to the people and not to make promises only.
“Sarawakians, especially the Bidayuhs, must learn about the politics of the opposition,” Dawit said.
He pointed out that the BN government has not only brought physical development to the people, but has also introduced other forms of assistance such as the BR1M, RM200 book voucher for students in higher institutions of learning, and RM100 for secondary school students and pupils of primary schools.
