KUCHING: Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) has taken exception to scathing remarks made by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) deputy president Rafizi Ramli on the state of Sarawak and Sabah.
Its Deputy Youth Chief, Lukanisman Awang Sauni said the sum of Rafizi’s arguments did not reflect the spirit of equal partnership in Malaysia.
Rafizi had in a Malaysia Day message said Sarawak and Sabah leaders are quick to point their fingers at Malaya for problems occurring in the two states.
He said Rafizi’s statement, especially the fact that it was his Malaysia Day message, to the people in Borneo, is both baffling and disappointing.
“The idea of Malaysia being a federation was for three regions, Malaya, Sarawak and Sabah to be together and collectively develop their territories and assist each other in good times and bad,” he said in a press statement on Sunday.
“What Rafizi is saying can be interpreted by the people of Sarawak and Sabah as being Malaya only wanting to reap the financial benefits from the Borneo states and not do its part in their development.
“The fact that he is suddenly interested in well-being of people in Sarawak and Sabah is questionable in its own right.
“Perhaps it is to win brownie points among the supporters and the people in Sarawak and Sabah with the General Election (GE15) round the corner, this, we can only speculate,” he said.
In his statement, Rafizi also blamed embezzlement for the poverty occurring in Sarawak and Sabah instead of owning up to the shortcomings of leaders in West Malaysia.
“For Sarawak, the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) state government has remained steadfast in alleviating poverty and ensures that this particular group receives assistance due to them.
“We are looking at ways and means to obtain the necessary information from any database,” said Lukanisman in response.
He also said that when Covid-19 struck, the state government was quick to dole out assistance in terms of the Sarawakku Sayang Special Assistance (BKSS).
“This was our strategy in the short term. In the medium to long term, we are looking to elevate the local socio-economy and household incomes through the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 introduced by Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
“While the state government is trying its best to somewhat remedy the situation – the role of leaders in West Malaysia, especially in the federal government is also crucial,” he added.
He said the federal government is bound to assist in developing the two Borneo states and not leave the task of transforming Sarawak and Sabah solely to the state governments.
“This is crucial especially when resources and taxes collected from these two states are shared with the federal government to be used in developing other areas in Malaysia,” he added.
