KUCHING: The ruling coalition Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) must continue to uphold the principle of “You touch one, you touch all” at all cost.
This is because each component party strengthens the coalition, said Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president and Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing.
“If one party is threatened it will weaken the whole organisation,” he said in his Gawai Dayak message released yesterday on behalf of PRS to all Dayak members and supporters of GPS.
Masing said the absence of a single dominant ethnic group had allowed for political peace among Sarawakians. There are 27 ethnic groups in Sarawak.
“GPS, which comprises four parties – Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), PRS and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) – represent all the ethnic groups in one way or another,” he said.
Masing said the three major annual festivals – Gawai Dayak, Hari Raya and Chinese New Year – allow Sarawakians to share the joy and foster the spirit of togetherness among them, thus enhancing better understanding and mutual respect.
“Gawai Dayak, as we all know, is traditionally a thanksgiving day marking the end of the harvest season and a time to plan for the new farming season. It is both a religious and social occasion,” he said.
Gawai Dayak was gazetted as an official festival to be celebrated on June 1 beginning in 1965.
Masing said it was imperative for all Dayaks to remember and honor the initiative of the state government and regarded it as a symbol of unity, aspiration and hope for the Dayaks.
