KUCHING, Jan 15: Sarawak Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Chong Chieng Jen has come to the defence of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, saying that all the Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders who decried Mahathir as “doing a lot of bad things to Sarawak” are the worst bunch of shameless hypocrites.
Chong said that if Mahathir were truly as alleged to have done so much “bad things to Sarawak”, such “bad things” were done with the full consent and endorsement by the same Sarawak BN politicians and parties when Mahathir was the Prime Minister.
“Throughout Mahathir’s 22 years as the country’s PM, all the Sarawak BN politicians were full of praises for him and his policies. They called him the “father of development”. They even rushed to kiss his hands whenever he visited Sarawak. None of them had any criticism of his policies then.
“Even when Mahathir retired in 2004, for more than 10 years, to these Sarawak BN leaders, his policies and deeds were all very good.
“It is only after Mahathir joined Pakatan Harapan that all those acts of his which were previously praised by the Sarawak BN leaders suddenly turned sour and became ‘bad things’,” said the Kuching MP and Kota Sentosa assemblyman
“Such behaviour of the Sarawak BN leaders, if it is not hypocrisy of the highest degree, what is?” he told a press conference today.
Chong said many of the Sarawak BN leaders who have served since Mahathir’s time are still serving now and they should answer why they supported Mahathir’s policies during the latter’s time as PM.
The state DAP chairman stressed that the opposition have always maintained that the BN’s governance is terrible, full of corruption, cronyism and self-interest, be it during Mahathir’s time, Tun Dato’ Sri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s time or Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s time.
“One thing for sure, the level of BN’s corruption and cronyism has gotten from bad to worse, from national scandals to international scandals, even topping the world’s corruption and money-laundering scandals. Now, the Prime Minister (Najib) is himself the central figure of the Malaysian-made international money-laundering scandal (1MDB).”
Chong said Mahathir, at the age of 92, finally realised the disservice BN has done to the country and has the decency to admit the mistake by quitting BN.
“He is even prepared to spend the remainder of his time, energy and life to topple this kleptocratic regime for the sake of the country.
“Shame on those who have kissed his hand and praised him loud during his time but now continue to follow blindly the BN’s way.”
DAP holds firmly that only by replacing the current UMNO/BN government and carrying out institutional reforms (Prime Minister and Finance Minister being two different persons, a two-term limit of premiership, and independent Parliament, MACC and other law enforcement agencies) that Malaysia and future generations in Malaysia will have a better future, the state DAP chairman stressed. — DayakDaily
