KUCHING, Dec 10: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) Chief Whip Dato’ Sri Fadillah Yusof has slammed Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) for bringing what he termed to be their “race-religion incitement politics” from Peninsular Malaysia to Sarawak in every election.
He said the Opposition’s propaganda this time was accusing GPS of undermining the multi-cultural, multi-religion harmony of Sarawak by being in the Federal government with Barisan Nasional (BN) and Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS).
“Their propaganda completely ignores the stellar track record that GPS has in maintaining race-religious harmony in Sarawak since decades ago until Sarawak is widely acknowledged to be the most harmonious and tolerant territory in Malaysia.
“All these parties have to do is to come to Sarawak, open their eyes and see how our various ethnic groups regardless of religion have enjoyed this peace and harmony that is envied by the rest of Malaysia,” he said in a statement today.
Fadillah who is also Senior Minister of Works-cum-Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) senior vice president further said PH and DAP continue to ignore that under the 20 points agreement and the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), Sarawak has full autonomy over finance, religion and language use which he said GPS will defend until the very end.
“PH and DAP have also forgotten that they were partners with PAS in the previous Sarawak elections, but now they accuse us of undermining Sarawak harmony?
“And how can GPS be accused of collaborating with PAS to undermine Sarawak’s multiethnic harmony when PAS is contesting against GPS in this election?
“The aim of GPS’s collaboration with the Federal government is to provide political stability to the country and to safeguard and to guarantee Sarawak’s rights and development — areas which PH and DAP had failed to do so when they were the ruling Federal government for 22 months,” he added.
Fadillah also pointed out that Sarawakians will never forget how the Opposition had sought to delay the development of the Pan Borneo Highway including cancelling phase 2 of the highway, the cancellation of three bridges, the denial of the budgeted RM1 billion funds to repair schools in Sarawak and the broken promises of 20 per cent of oil royalty to be returned to Sarawak which forced the GPS government to impose State sales tax (SST) on Petronas.
Other than development and progress, he said GPS’s involvement in the Federal government had also safeguarded harmony and religious tolerance for Sarawak.
“A recent example is GPS’s active involvement in ensuring that the federal new alcohol licensing and alcohol sales restrictions were cancelled.
“As a side-note, we would also like to point out that the recent Timah whisky controversy was also started by DAP’s partner, Parti Amanah Negara (PAN), and further instigated by a Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) MP who said in parliament that drinking Timah whisky is like ‘drinking a Malay woman’.
“Where was DAP’s voice then?” he questioned.
Fadillah is confident that Sarawakians have become tired and can see through the same old race religion instigation tactics that PH and DAP use in every Sarawak election and will reject them in the upcoming polls.
He explained that the reality is and track record shows that the GPS government has and will continue to defend and preserve religious tolerance in Sarawak as its core unifying factor.
“GPS trusts that the people will not be influenced by the tactic of casting doubt and aspersion on the government’s stance, but will continue to stand firm to protect race and religious unity in Sarawak.
“The assistance given to all religions through the Unit for Other Religions (Unifor) is testament to GPS government’s policy,” he said.
For the record, the first three promises of GPS’s Sarawak 2021 elections manifesto are; assuring the stability and political autonomy of Sarawak; safeguarding and protecting Sarawak’s rights in accordance with the Federal Constitution, MA63, the Sarawak State Constitution and the Sarawak State Laws; and a guarantee on equal rights of all Sarawakians.
“Unlike them, we believe that manifesto promises are made to be kept and delivered, and never to be broken,” Fadillah emphasised. — DayakDaily
