By Roslan Mutu
KUCHING, Nov 5: The Bidayuh community must be united in voting in three Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) candidates in the upcoming polls on Nov 19 as this will further strengthen and unify the community, opines Bidayuh Temenggong of Kuching Division Dato Austin Dimin Niyon.
He said, since the Bidayuh community is small, it is thus logical for them to have a united voice in Parliament which is akin to a voice of a ‘united family’.
“This 15th General Election (GE15) is crucial for our community to vote for the three GPS candidates as it will strengthen our voice in Parliament. Their representation of the Bidayuh community in Parliament is crucial to complement our eight assemblymen (ADUN) who are now all from GPS.
“If our representatives are all in GPS, our voice will be a strong and united Bidayuh family,” Dimin told DayakDaily today.
He added that it would be much easier for the government to bring development to Bidayuh areas if all their representatives are from the same party.
“We are now formulating the Greater Kuching Coordinated Development Agency (GKCDA)
to plan our wishlist so that our community too will be as developed as other communities, as envisioned under Post-Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 when Sarawak is expected to attain developed status by 2030,” said Dimin.
Serian Division Bidayuh Temenggong Henry Sadok echoed Dimin’s views and reiterated that the community needs to be united so that its voice could be heard both at State and federal levels.
“I can’t see how we can progress as a community if our three MPs are from different political parties.
“As we already have eight ADUN from GPS, it would be great if all our three MPs are also from GPS. Then our voice in Parliament will be taken seriously as we are seen as very united,” said Henry.
Meanwhile, when contacted, P199 Serian incumbent MP Dato Sri Richard Riot Jaem stressed that it is crucial for the people of Sarawak to vote for GPS as this will give Sarawak a strong voice in Parliament.
“Since GPS was established four years ago, we have achieved a lot of great things for Sarawak under our Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, as we (GPS) are by ourselves and not tied down to any West Malaysian parties. So, it is crucial for GPS to have a strong and united voice in Parliament so that we can have better say in running the government,” said Riot, who is also the deputy president of Sarawak United Peoples’ Party.
Besides Riot, the other two GPS GE15 candidates are Datuk Willie Mongin (P198 Puncak Borneo) and Lidang Disen (P192 Mas Gading). — DayakDaily
