KUCHING, Oct 7: Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) contradicted itself in its recent statement claiming that the party can protect the rights of Sarawakians under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) when before this, it claimed that the treaty is null and void.
To Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii, it seems that the PBK narrative keeps changing from a State election to a general election, likely in an attempt to mislead people and try to split the Opposition votes.
He also pointed out that Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) claims to be the only party protecting Sarawak’s rights, but both their MPs did not even turn up to debate or vote during the amendments for Article 1(2) to restore Sarawak’s original position.
“Now, one of the MPs has even jumped and left the party to support the current Umno (United Malays National Organisation)/BN (Barisan Nasional) government. So how can they claim to be able to safeguard our interest when they are not even loyal to their own party?” Dr Yii questioned in a press statement today.
Believing that the presence of a strong national party is where Sarawakians can affect necessary policy change to safeguard Sarawak’s rights, he said there had been many attempts, especially by so-called local Opposition parties, to paint a misleading picture that the welfare and rights of Sarawakians cannot be protected under a national party.
“Even as an Opposition, due to the strength and influence of a national party and coalition, we were able to sign an MoU (memorandum of understanding) with the Prime Minister to demand some important reforms for our country.
“One main demand in the MoU is the restoration of our rights under MA63,” said Dr Yii.
He said within two months of signing it, the government tabled the amendments to Article 1(2), which was long-delayed even though the Minister of Sabah and Sarawak Affairs, in March 2020, claimed that he would table the amendments in six months.
To him, this clearly shows how the interest of Sabahans and Sarawakians can be protected under a national party that supports and upholds the MA63, like DAP and Pakatan Harapan.
“This is unlike so-called local parties that only seem to play on local sentiments but do not offer proper policy changes to address the growing issues faced by all, including health, education, economy, and even the environment, which affect Sarawakians as well.
“DAP has been on the ground to serve people for years even when we lost the elections, unlike parties and candidates of these so-called local parties that have gone missing after the elections,” said Dr Yii. — DayakDaily
