By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Sept 2: Kota Sentosa assemblyman Wilfred Yap has questioned whether a Democratic Action Party (DAP) lawmaker genuinely believes that granting Sarawak greater authority over environmental matters would somehow enable the State government to control wind patterns, weather conditions or haze originating beyond its borders, describing such criticism of Sarawak’s autonomy push as “political grandstanding disguised as environmental concern”.
Yap was responding to a statement by a DAP Sarawak legislator who questioned the purpose of pursuing greater environmental autonomy if the State government was unable to effectively safeguard Sarawakians from the worsening haze situation.
Saying he found the argument difficult to comprehend, Yap noted that it was surprising for an experienced legislator to suggest that Sarawak’s pursuit of greater environmental authority was meaningless simply because the State was experiencing haze.
“With respect, such an argument borders on political dullness because it fundamentally confuses jurisdiction, responsibility and outcomes,” he said in a statement today.
He stressed that while greater autonomy must come with greater responsibility, action and accountability, responsibility must also be matched by the necessary authority.
“If Sarawak is expected to be fully responsible for environmental matters, then Sarawak must have the necessary legislative, regulatory and enforcement powers to deal effectively with those matters,” he said.
He argued that this was precisely why Sarawak continued to pursue greater autonomy and the restoration of powers that should rightfully be exercised by the State.
Yap also underscored the need to distinguish between pollution originating within Sarawak, transboundary haze, weather conditions and matters that remain under federal jurisdiction.
“To simply lump everything under ‘Sarawak government failure’ is neither intellectually honest nor befitting an experienced legislator,” he said.
He challenged DAP to state clearly whether it supported Sarawak having greater environmental authority and the powers required to carry out that responsibility.
“If the answer is yes, then why use the haze situation to ridicule Sarawak’s pursuit of greater autonomy?” he asked.
“If the answer is no, then DAP should explain why Sarawak should be held responsible for matters over which it does not have complete jurisdiction.”
Yap maintained that Sarawak was not seeking greater autonomy to avoid responsibility, but rather to enable the State to assume greater responsibility for its own affairs.
“An experienced legislator should understand this basic principle. Please do not turn a serious environmental issue into a simplistic political slogan. Sarawakians deserve better than that,” he added. — DayakDaily
