DAP ready to work with Sabah and Sarawak leaders to fight for rights


The Malaysian Insider
November 17, 2013

DAP today said it was willing to work together and cooperate with state government leaders in Sabah and Sarawak to ensure that they retained their equal status in the Federation of Malaysia.

Pasty secretary-general Lim Guan Eng attacked Umno’s arrogance in assuming that they were the masters and everyone else had to submit to them.

He slammed Umno’s racist and extremist ideologies, saying it had warped and twisted the minds of the party’s young leaders and left them with the wrong perception.

Lim said Umno’s young leaders had been influenced by the party’s policies to the extent that they assumed the party were the masters and others had to be subservient.

“This has caused friction not just between Putrajaya and Sabah and Sarawak but even among the average Malaysians, especially the non-Muslims,” Lim said in a statement today in response to the frustration expressed by Sarawak Land Development Minister Tan Sri James Masing in a report published in The Malaysian Insider today.

Masing accused young Umno leaders of causing friction between Putrajaya and the Sarawak state government as they had adopted the attitude that Umno were the masters.”The attack by Masing on the Umno leaders indicates that Sabah and Sarawak have realised that they are not being respected but are instead being exploited by Putrajaya,” Lim noted.

Masing said when Umno spoke with them, they make themselves feel as if they were superior and Sarawakians were their coolies.

He said he felt irritated with these leaders as they did not treat those from Sarawak as equal partners in the administration of the federation.

“Sabah and Sarawak seems to be like an appendix to West Malaysia,” Masing challenged.

Lim echoed Masing’s frustrations with Umno, saying issues which strained state-federal ties included the Home Ministry’s decision to ban the use of the word Allah in Herald, a weekly publication under the Catholic church.

“The issue has fanned the anger of the 1.6 million Christians in East Malaysia as it was seen by the people of Sabah and Sarawak as breaching the terms drawn up when Malaysia was first formed.”

“Although it has taken Masing almost 30 years of his political career to realise Umno’s arrogance and the master-servant attitude adopted by the party towards Sabah, Sarawak and Malaysians, but better late than never,” Lim said.

He said DAP was willing to cooperate fully with the state leaders in Sabah and Sarawak to check Umno’s arrogance.

“We want to ensure that Sabah and Sarawak retain their status as equal partners in Malaysia and are not reduced to a master-servant relationship reminiscent of the old British colonial era,” Lim added.

DAP is willing to support Sabah and Sarawak to demand an increase in their share of oil and gas royalties from the present 5% to 20% and to end the present cabotage policy.

“The time has come to return the natural wealth of both states back to the people and to ensure a fair implementation of the 1Malaysia, 1Price policy.

“The people of Sabah and Sarawak should no longer be discriminated against by having to pay higher prices than those in peninsular Malaysia,” Lim said. – November 17, 2013.

  1. #1 by Bigjoe on Sunday, 17 November 2013 - 8:44 pm

    Yes, Sarawak is in clear and present danger of ending up WORST than Sabah as a colony of UMNO. But the truth is, like Sabah did DECADES ago of the danger, the local politician and populace/voters do not have what it take to defend themselves and reliant on feudal strongman who failed them.

    I simply must go back to the dissapointment that is DAP Sarawak and Sabah..DAP, like the PAP, has socialist roots. Why is it the socialists origin in them have never gone much in rural Sabah & Sarawak when they have been established in Sarawak and Sabah for decades? DAP is lucky not labeled Marxist or worst to be confined to the urban areas for so long. Why didn’t DAP make no effort to get the natives of Sarawak and Sabah in the rural area to act collectively economically, socially and politically? They could have gotten them to form their own coop, communal schools, funds, and ultimately collective politically..

    Without a pre-organisation out in the rural areas, DAP and PR will have at best short spurts of getting spread out and inertial votes of Sarawak and Sabah too..

  2. #2 by loo on Sunday, 17 November 2013 - 10:48 pm

    BigJoe,
    It’s not easy when local politics run deep in sabah & sarawak. By the way, if DAP may be labelled as marxist, then SUPP will surely be a Marxist party. Don’t believe me hah, just go google.
    Anyway, DAP Sarawak has been bearing fruits after years of ploughing the field. Hence, it’s time for PKR to simply step aside. PKR’s east malaysia campaign has been extremely disastrous. 2 questions? How many seats PKR contested during 2011 sarawak state election? How many they get?

  3. #3 by good coolie on Monday, 18 November 2013 - 12:07 am

    How do you think Sabah and Sarawak still support BN? Is it because UMNO is so good? Good at what?

  4. #4 by boh-liao on Monday, 18 November 2013 - 3:37 am

    Sabahans n S’wakians deserve what they r today bcos they choose to remain as fixed deposits of UmnoB/BN
    Now both states hv been truly sodomised/colonised by UmnoB which transformed illegals in2 legal Sabahans n S’wakians (M’sians)

  5. #5 by Noble House on Monday, 18 November 2013 - 4:10 am

    Maybe it is time to come up with a whole new methodology in strategy management, one that will recognize the real need for managing changes to suit politically acceptable outcomes.
    The comprehension of the term “paradigm shift” can never rely on full “objectivity”, but must account for subjective perspectives just as well.

  6. #6 by Winston on Monday, 18 November 2013 - 7:41 am

    Working with those affiliated with UMNO/BN on ad-hoc matters that are good for the people of East Malaysia is fine.
    But be very aware of having accepting them into the DAP or PR for that matter.
    They can very well be plants by the ruling party to wreak havoc in the opposition.
    Just ask yourself this question: Aren’t they aware of what is happening in their states?
    They have been happily endorsing all that is happening in them!
    Finally, remember that there is nothing in this world that the ruling party will not do to extend their grip on power.

  7. #7 by lee tai king (previously dagen) on Monday, 18 November 2013 - 9:23 am

    1.6m christians there upset with umno?

    That is hardly a problem for umno. Umno could easily counter that. Just turbo charge the monster brand bumi baking machine and then put it to overdrive. Umno could between now and the next election bake fresh bumiputras numbering 1.6m to dilute and drown out the christians.

    Any more complaints?

    Never incur the wrath of umno the supreme grand master of the universe and the GOD of all gods.

    NEVER. EVER!

    • #8 by loo on Monday, 18 November 2013 - 2:59 pm

      Well, Malaysia may end up losing sarawak

  8. #9 by tak tahan on Monday, 18 November 2013 - 2:21 pm

    Hail Umno once ! Hail Umno Twice ! Hail Umno thrice ! LOL

  9. #10 by boh-liao on Monday, 18 November 2013 - 8:42 pm

    DAP better JAGA own house first – how come DAP, PKR got toads as candidates who after got elected as MP or ADUN then resigns or gets oneself sacked fr party so as 2 bcome a free agent 2 hop, step n jump 2 d dark side with $$ in pockets, Sh!!!t man

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