I believe many people, including me, were offended by the remark made by Bozz Jebat, a former UMNO member, who stated that Malaysia is his country. While there is nothing wrong with being patriotic, how he expressed it is concerning.
In a recent video, he said, “I don’t care if people criticise me. I am not happy. This is my country and not yours.”
The context of his statement should be understood. He expressed his dissatisfaction with Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing and even insulted Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg for recommending Tiong’s selection for the federal Cabinet.
The Youth Wing of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) swiftly issued a statement denouncing Jebat’s actions as “incredibly rude” and demanded a public apology from him.
Several non-governmental organisations, such as Persatuan Kebajikan Sahabat Pembina Insan Sarawak (SAHABAT) and Persatuan Warisan Anak Sarawak (WARIS), also filed police reports.
On Thursday, 13 political secretaries to the Premier lodged a similar police report at the Satok Police Station in Kuching, urging the authorities to investigate Jebat. The message is clear: No one should insult Sarawak’s top leader in a derogatory manner and go unpunished. There must be consequences.
I understand the political aspect of the situation. The former UMNO member, who was expelled by the party and joined a rival party, was criticising Tiong for the dismissal of the previous Tourism Malaysia director-general. If he had stopped there, it would have been a matter of politics and the power of appointments within a specific ministry, which rests with the minister.
However, he didn’t stop there. He went even further and stirred up racial and religious sentiments by stating that the culture brought by Tiong was unacceptable. In one fell swoop, he insulted the culture of Sarawakians and the people of Sabah with offensive language and unrestrained bigotry.
By saying, “This is my country and not yours,” he implied that people who are not part of his group have no place in Malaysia. Our race relations have already been strained in the past decade due to political differences, and now he wants to sever ties with East Malaysia.
The danger lies in the fact that this bigoted mentality may not be limited to one individual or one instance on social media. Extreme right-wing conservative movements seem to be gaining popularity, for better or worse.
I would like to emphasise that there is no Malaysia without Sarawak and Sabah. There is no country without the Chinese, the Indians, and the indigenous people in Sarawak and Sabah. This country was built together, and it will continue to be a home for all of us. No amount of shouting or overcompensating in TikTok videos can change that.
I hope that Jebat’s current political leaders will have a serious conversation with him. It is clear that he lacks political sense, and that makes it not difficult to understand why he was expelled from his previous party.
Sarawak is not the enemy here, at least not for his political masters in Perikatan Nasional (PN). Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) under Abang Johari was more than fair in supporting PN’s opportunity to form a federal government under former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. When Muhyiddin resigned, GPS continued to support the government led by Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob as prime minister.
Simply put, we cannot predict our future alliances. However, I doubt PN will receive support from ethnic minorities, as well as the people of Sarawak and Sabah if they continue along this path. Even if they do, their chances will depend on adopting a moderate approach by including technocrats and proven leaders instead of hardline extremists.
I hope that the authorities will thoroughly investigate Jebat and hold him accountable. To him, I say, “This is my country too.”
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
