By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, June 21: Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen has called on the Sarawak government to demand that applications for Open Approved Permits (AP) in the State should not be restricted to Bumiputera companies only.
Chong in a press statement today said with the recent announcement by the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (Miti) that it will grant applications for open APs for Bumiputera companies to import reconditioned vehicles into the country, it is an opportunity for the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government to prove its mettle and claim that it does not practice racial-based policies.
“As such, the GPS government should insist that there be no such Bumi/non-Bumi criteria for applicant companies from Sarawak,” he said.
According to Chong, though the grant of AP to a company is under Miti which is a Federal ministry, Sarawak GPS, with its five ministers and one Deputy Prime Minister, has a strong influence over the Federal government.
More importantly, he said, Sarawak GPS is able to dictate Federal policies’ implementation in Sarawak, given its king-maker role in the formation of a Federal government.
He also said that as an example, for all government contracts with a value of RM50 million or below which was previously to be implemented by the Federal government, are now implemented by the Sarawak government.
“Sarawak GPS should show us Sarawakians and the whole nation that it truly does not subscribe to race-based policies and that it is prepared to lead by example.
“Racial economic policies should have no place in Sarawak. I urge the State government to lead the nation by moving away from race-based policy to merit-based policy. — DayakDaily
