By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, May 9: Assistant Minister of Corporate Affairs Abdullah Saidol challenges Sarawak Pakatan Harapan (PH) to leave the national ruling coalition to face Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) in the next state election, which must be called by 2021.
He said the four component parties of GPS had the courage to leave Barisan Nasional (BN) and formed a local ruling coalition in Sarawak. He, thus, challenged Sarawak PH, consisting of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Parti Pribumi Malaysia Bersatu (Bersatu) and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah), to do the same.
“I challenge the opposite side to get out of PH and set up their own parties. Let the people of Sarawak decide in the coming state polls.
“Let us see who have the people’s confidence to continue to defend and fight for Sarawak’s rights,” Abdullah told the media on the sidelines of the Sarawak Legislative Assembly sitting today.
On the performance of a Sarawakian PH minister and deputy minister, without stating their names, he said the deputy minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, who is in charge of matters pertaining to cost of living, did not do his job.
Instead, the deputy minister had been busy making offers on behalf of the PH federal government when he is not even a full minister.
The Semop assemblyman said while one Sarawakian deputy federal minister is not doing his job, another Sarawakian full federal minister had been going around giving allocations to other states except the latter’s own home state.
“We are proud to have a full minister in the form of the JKR minister. He is from Sarawak. But I feel it’s not fair when he goes here and there announcing big projects but not in our own state.
“So it is weird. I thought that he is supposed to be with us to defend our rights and interests, but I don’t see the sincerity there,” said Abdullah.
Meanwhile, Abdullah said Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad should reshuffle his cabinet.
He said PH first promised to achieve heaven and earth within 100 days if it took over Putrajaya. It did not happen. Then PH promised it would deliver within one year.
“To be fair, they should be given more time; probably they will perform better, but unfortunately, the signs that they will do a better job cannot be seen.
“The current cabinet, I think, needs to be changed if we want to see our country moving on better,” he opined.
Abdullah acknowledged that several federal ministers seemed passionate about their jobs, while the majority of them seemed lost.
“I don’t think they know their job as members of the cabinet,” he said.
He said PH had another four years to go and hoped that the national ruling coalition would not move on “with too much rhetoric and policies that fail” but concentrate on doing a good job. — DayakDaily
