KUCHING, Oct 18: The Opposition’s continuous allegations of GPS pushing for the Sarawak Election to avoid implementation of Undi18, is a tactic of throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks, says Gabungan Parti Sarawak Backbenchers’ Club.
The Club said this when making reference to the statement by Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) secretariat as well as Pakatan Harapan Sarawak (PH Sarawak) leaders, which continued to harp on the issue of Undi18, alleging that the Sarawak government is rushing the state election to avoid its implementation.
“We lament that the opposition party is resorting to new lows by trying to create a perception that the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) is not giving the youths the opportunity to exercise their democratic rights.
“We would like to point out that GPS, has continued to be sensitive and concerned on the aspirations of the youths and, throughout its various policies, has ensured that the youths are not left out from benefitting from the initiatives of the state government.
“It is disappointing to see that, when the opposition parties feel that the state election nears, they are back to their old strategy of inciting anger among youths similar to what we have seen in the 14th General Election (GE14) in 2018.
“This approach of throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks can be interpreted as a sign of desperation from the opposition, especially PH, whose political capital dried up after their massive blunder when helming the federal administration,” said Gabungan Parti Sarawak Backbenchers’ Club in a statement today.
The Club took the opportunity to question PSB — since it is insistent on championing the youths, what had PSB done for the group since its formation and what were PSB’s contributions to the youth?
It said the Sarawak government had come up with the incentive to pay 30 per cent of the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loan to eligible borrowers and had also created the Graduan Pulang Sarawak initiative (iGPS) for Sarawak students studying at higher learning institutions (IPT) in the Peninsula Malaysia, Sabah and Labuan.
Prior to Covid-19 and when mass gatherings were allowed, constant engagements with the youth were held through townhall sessions by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg and the State Youth and Sports Minister, the Club added.
“This contributed to the setting up of several initiatives to help the youths and empower them, grooming them to be leaders in the next generation.
“We call on the opposition parties to not mislead the youths any further just for the sake of scoring brownie points. The youths can see and evaluate for themselves the contributions of the state government and how its policies have benefited them.
“No amount of slander and baseless allegations can change that,” said the Club. — DayakDaily
