KUCHING, April 21: Sarawak Association for People’s Aspiration (Sapa) president Dominique Ng lashed out at the the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government’s decision to move the Registry of the High Court of Sarawak and Sabah, located at Jalan Gersik here, to Kota Kinabalu.
He claimed that this move is unconstitutional and politically motivated to prove that Putrajaya has the upper hand in the administration of the country.
“This is clearly yet another unconstitutional action taken by the PH government!
“I am given to understand that the Advocates’ Association of Sarawak (AAS) has voiced its objections when informed of the move.
“There is no indication that the Chief Minister of Sarawak (Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg) was ever consulted! This is the last straw according to a fellow Sarawakian who commented to me,” Ng said in a statement today.
The former Padungan assemblyman said in such times when Sarawakians have increasingly raised concerns about the federal government’s motives towards Sarawak, the federal government had just made another move that showed their extreme arrogance towards yet another state right which has been guaranteed in the Federal Constitution.
“We are fools if we continue to believe Dr Mahathir (Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad) and the PH government can be trusted to return us our rights.
“It is not just the Barisan Nasional (BN) government of old but also the current PH government that would continue to ride roughshod over our rights, and just as arrogantly take them away!” Ng said.
With that, he called upon Sarawakians to seriously consider exiting “this totally unfair and one sided federation” which has treated Sarawak like an adopted son.
Former Batu Lintang assemblyman Voon Lee Shan also joined the fray, saying that the move by PH betrayed the supposedly equal partnership status of Sarawak in Malaysia.
He said when Malaysia was formed, the federation of Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak, “sat on one table with each, their own plate of food”.
The plate with food from Sabah and Sarawak have been taken by Malaya for more than 60 years, he claimed.
“Now Malaya says to Sabah and Sarawak since ‘you’re crying, I give back to you your plate which I took from you’.
“Is it equal partnership when only the plate is returned to you but without the food on it?
“Malaya can give Sabah and Sarawak back their status as countries, but, not returning the territorial waters oil and gas. Can this be said as equal partnership or returning back your status to 1963?
“I need my territorial waters, oil and gas. You, Malaya give me back my plate without my food?” Voon questioned.
He also questioned the sincerity of state Democratic Action Party (DAP) in its efforts to supposedly restore the status of Sarawak.
“You eat what you can but make sure you return my plate to me! This is what Sarawak DAP wants, correct?” Voon remarked. — DayakDaily
