KUCHING: Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) president Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh has described the ‘Malaysian Family’ concept touted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob as wishful thinking at best.
He said this was considering the inequities that had prevailed in Malaysia for so many decades.
“In a family, siblings are treated equally. Political constituencies are not treated unfairly and victimised just because they exercise their democratic right to vote for an opposition party. People are not segregated into different classes based on race.
“Higher education and employment opportunities in the civil service should be open to all based on merit and not on skin colour.
“If the prime minister is sincere about reconciliation and bringing Malaysians together, then he must first act as a fair father to all Malaysians.
“He has to realise that, in the 14th General Election, the people voted against Barisan Nasional, United Malay National Organisation and Parti Islam Se-Malaysia, the very parties who are now in control of the federal government,” Wong said on Tuesday (Aug 24).
He said the government had often been called a backdoor government because it lacked the legitimacy of being the choice of the people.
He further said if the government wanted to show its sincerity to the opposition and the people, it must table the Bills former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin offered in order to stay in power, including giving those 18 years and above the right to vote.
“That way, even if this government lacks the legitimacy of being elected by the people, it can show that it will put the interests of the nation first.”
For East Malaysians, the Bawang Assan assemblyman said immediate restoration of rights eroded under Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) was vital.
He said Gabungan Parti Sarawak could have made history by choosing an East Malaysian as prime minister, but failed to seize the opportunity to have Sarawak’s rights under MA63 fully restored and the status of Sarawak as one of the founding partners recognised by demanding an undertaking from the federal government to amend the Constitution.
