By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, Nov 26: Santubong MP Dato Sri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar holds the view that if Sarawak were to fall into the hands of Pakatan Harapan (PH), the state’s struggles to reclaim its rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) will be futile.
He opined that if the PH government failed to fulfil its promises under the manifesto, it would not be able to be fair to Sarawak, citing how Sarawak was treated between 1981 to 2008.
“If the PH government could not fulfil its promises under the manifesto that hoodwinked the whole nation, no one could believe PH could be fair to Sarawak once they control the state.
“All that could happen would be the isolation (of Sarawak), as what happened from 1981 to 2008, (which will happen) yet again.
“The claim for the return and reinstatement of Sarawak rights under the Federal Constitution, MA63 and IGC Report (Inter-Governmental Committee Report) might become only a dream,” said Wan Junaidi in a statement today.
Wan Junaidi was responding to a claim by Sarawak DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen yesterday that his party had formulated a strategy to take on GPS in the next state election, which is due in 2021.
Between 1981 to 2003, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was the prime minister, and from 2003 to 2009, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was the leader. Both of them, like Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, were from Umno.
When Dr Mahathir again took over the helm of Malaysia after the May 9 general election, he did it under the new party Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).
Meanwhile, Wan Junaidi also pointed out that since PH took over the federal government, not only that it did not help develop Sarawak but many critical projects that were previously approved were either scrapped or put on hold, forcing Sarawak to depend on itself for development and state building.
“Even some of the critical projects approved by the BN (Barisan Nasional) government in 2017 and 2018 are being put on hold or scrapped.
“Now, Sarawak is controlled by our own local parties, the GPS (Gabungan Parti Sarawak), with the revenue earning mechanism devised by the state, (it is now being developed) without relying on the federal funding,” he said.
Wan Junaidi asserted that regardless of how the federal government tried to isolate Sarawak, historical agreements and the Federal Constitution required it to provide for Sarawak’s development.
“The federal government is obligated to provide to Sarawak what the state is entitled to under the constitution (including those under MA63, IGC Report) and federalism arrangement.” — DayakDaily
