SELANGAU, April 22: Top posts in the government and even corporate companies are temporary and are not owned by the incumbents for life.
Hence there is a need to step down and give way to somebody else who is equally qualified for the job when the boss says so,
Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) vice-president Datuk Snowdan Lawan said much like a private company, it would be up to the boss to decide who should take up the post or who should be dropped to ensure the company can run well.
“The posts that we (elected representatives) are in now are temporary. When we die we cannot bring it all with us to the grave. We are there because we have been given that privilege by our bosses in the first place. Instead of rebelling against our bosses because he decided to drop us, we should be thankful for the opportunities we had while we were there.
“In our party PRS, my post as Balai Ringin assemblyman and even as Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports are not mine. I am only an elected representative to helm these posts. It is up to my boss, the party president (Tan Sri James Jemut Masing), on who to place there.
“Do not bite the hands that feed you,” he said during the ceremony and concert to mark the closing of the Youth Education and Sports Transformation Carnival at Selangau town here Saturday night.
Snowdan was indirectly commenting about the matter of PRS deputy president Datuk Joseph Entulu Belaun who defied Masing’s decision to drop him from the general election (GE14) for Selangau parliamentary seat, to make way for new face Rita Insol.
Entulu yesterday was quoted in a local daily as saying that he should not have been dropped because he was the most winnable candidate to defend the Selangau seat, and also because of the fact that he’s the party deputy president and caretaker Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.
“I have the right to be renominated (to defend Selangau seat) because I was duly elected in the most recent PRS triennial delegates conference (TDC). I did not win it by default or uncontested.
“I won it even though I was severely challenged. The fact that I am PRS deputy president also entitles me to be renominated as the candidate to defend Selangau seat.
“Not only that, my general election results so far, has never decreased but instead has been increasing every time.
“This clearly points to the fact that I am the most winnable candidate for Selangau,” he said during a function near here earlier that day.
Not naming Entulu directly, Snowdan said having him (Entulu) defying Masing’s decision would only show that Entulu did not appreciate unity within the party and was willing to go against the president’s decision to get what he wanted.
Snowdan pointed out that there were reasons why Masing decided to drop Entulu, and all Entulu had to do was abide by the decision and the party’s administration as well as Barisan Nasional’s (BN) plans for the GE14 to be carried out smoothly.
“Like a ship, the captain will lead it to its destination, so we rowers must ensure the ship sails smoothly. But if some crew decides to sabotage the journey and make the ship leak, it will sink. We must understand and follow diligently what the top leaders have planned.
“Have you ever wondered why our Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak dropped his former Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin? Same goes for former Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.
“There are reasons. Reasons I do not have to say here, as you can read in the news. It was basically because of their questionable loyalty,” said Snowdan.
He added that whoever is the boss, it would be unwise to be disloyal to him as this could disrupt the flow of administration as well as plans to move forward for the betterment of the political party or corporate company.
“So I hope you (constituents) understand that all decisions are made for specific reasons. They are not personal agendas of the party president or the boss.
“I might not be nominated next term, who knows. But being the gentleman that I am, I will willingly abide by the president’s decision and make way for others. I will thank the president for giving me this opportunity to become an elected representative,” said Snowdan.
Meanwhile, PRS vice-president Datuk John Sikie Tayai announced that the party has nominated Rita Insol to contest in Selangau for the GE14.
He said there was no reason for anyone to dispute the party president’s decision on who to nominate as in the end it was to ensure that the party would win the seat.
“Let’s not bicker over who should be nominated now. It has already been decided. Now we should focus on having one voice and be united to ensure our candidate, your future representative, wins in GE14.
“If we are all united under one voice, everything will go smoothly as planned, and PRS, a component of BN, will continue to bring more development to Selangau,” said Sikie.
He said there were many development plans for Selangau in the pipeline, so he urged the constituents to continue giving BN the mandate so that all the planned developments would continue to be implemented. — DayakDaily
