By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, March 5: While Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) Sarawak secretary Andrew Lo is keeping mum whether he will take part in a debate forum, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) information chief Datuk Idris Buang hopes the former will take up the challenge to settle their disagreement amicably.
Idris believed that the friendly forum is the best way to thrash out their differences.
“This is the best way to resolve things, the misunderstanding earlier. And if in the end we still disagree, that is fine. We agree to disagree,” Idris told DayakDaily today.
Meanwhile, Lo, when contacted today, was non-committal, stating that he could not comment at this point in time.
Idris and Lo have been involved in a spat in the media following Lo’s first statement criticising the state government over a wide range of issues, including the recent Cambodia job case, tourism, ‘Sarawak for Sarawakians’ movement, and ‘Sarawak First’ policy, greater autonomy and minimum wage.
His statement was countered by Idris, who believed that Lo’s statement was the latter’s personal opinion and did not represent that of the union. He asserted that it was unethical and improper for Lo to use his position within MTUC to issue the statement.
In response, Lo said PBB was “ultra-defensive and paranoid” and expressed shock that PBB made personal attacks against him.
The spat continued in the media until Idris proposed that Rise of Sarawak Efforts (ROSE) organise a forum for him and Lo to thrash out the issue.
Idris, who is also Muara Tuang assemblyman, said the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government had been trying its best to create jobs in the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy and other programmes through Tegas Sarawak (Pemangkin Transformasi Modal Insan) and other training programmes under the Ministry of Industrial Development.
“In Samajaya and Samalaju Industrial Park alone, we have created hundreds of thousands of jobs. The government has done massive things and deserves more than criticisms and baseless allegations,” he said.
Idris cautioned that Sarawakians are living in a “glass house”, where there are more recipes for racial disaster than racial harmony.
“There is no majority. We are all minority. We have more recipes for racial disaster than racial harmony. To me, any disagreement, let us all settle it in a civil and gentlemanly manner.
“GPS hopes to build up a society that is considerate of each other and one that settles differences through forums, debates, discussions and understanding instead of condemning each other with accusations and allegations.
“We don’t accuse without basis, but at the same time, we hope others would do the same to us,” said Idris. — DayakDaily
