By Peter Sibon
KUCHING, Oct 10: The nation leaders should move away from the “3Rs” (race, religion and royalty) issue and focus their energy to further develop the economy to ensure everyone benefits from the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030.
Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) vice-president Datuk Liwan Lagang said he was baffled with renowned academician Prof Datuk Zainal Kling’s recent statement, which he described as ‘courting racial tension’ in a multiracial, multireligious country like Malaysia.
“As a former educator, I have high regards for educators but it amazes me as to how a renowned professor such as Zainal Kling could come up with such a racist statement that ‘Malaysia is only for the Malays’.
“If that is his argument, how does he see other races such the Dayaks, especially the Orang Ulus in Sarawak. Does he wants us to leave this country too, and to go where?” Liwan continued.
Zainal made the controversial remarks at the Malay Dignity Congress on Oct 6.
In this regards, the senior Orang Ulu political leader reiterated that people like Zainal seemed to have never learnt anything from history.
“Firstly, we must remember that the riot 50 years ago, on May 13, 1969, was racially charged. Does he want the same incident to recur?” Liwan said.
He added that Malaysians of all races have acknowledged that the Malays, as the single largest race in the country, have the most say in the administration of the country.
“The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is the king of all Malaysians even though Sarawak does not have a sultan who can become an Agong. We accept the Agong as our king.
“So too, the high offices of the prime minister, the deputy prime minister and most of the federal Cabinet members who are Malays, again we never question that.
“In the federal civil service, it is dominated by the Malays, again we don’t question that fact. So please, be inclusive and be reasonable in your views as a prominent academician,” the state Assistant Minister for Utilities (Rural Electricity) said.
Liwan pointed out that if someone as prominent as Zainal uttered such racial slurs, it could affect the whole country.
“We are living in one country. Look around you, we are a multiracial and multireligious society. Please don’t destroy it by asking people who are born and raised here to go back to their ancestors’ homeland when their only homes are here in Malaysia,” he said.
Liwas echoed PRS president Tan Sri Dr James Masing, who deemed Zainal’s remark as a hard fact to swallow.
The state deputy chief minister reminded that Malaysia was formed through a federation and that it belongs to all races who were born and raised in the country.
On a different note, Liwan who is also Belaga assemblyman has extended an invitation to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to visit the Bakun HEP Dam, referring Dr Mahathir “as the one who built it”.
“We would like to invite Tun Mahathir to come and see for himself how he can assist those who have been affected by the mega dam.
“We hope that he can channel funds to our people, which is similar to the amount of allocation from the Sarawak government to the Ulu Rajang Development Agency (URDA). This way, his Shared Prosperity Vision would become a reality,” he continued.
The state has allocated RM1.5 billion to URDA. — DayakDaily
