KUCHING, Aug 4: Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) information chief Datuk Idris Buang has told Sarawak PKR to “look into the mirror” before criticising Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg for refusing to conduc local council elections when Pakatan Harapan (PH) has “basket full of promises unfulfilled”.
Idris believed that Sarawak PKR information chief Desmond Kho should first criticise his own PH political masters in Malaya as to why local council elections were not introduced even though PH has been ruling Selangor and Penang for so long.
“He (Kho) should also question YAB Prime Minister Tun M (Dr Mahathir Mohamd) for the latter’s well known view against such notion of having local councils elections as Tun M used to say that such elections could rift the people further apart.
“Tun M’s view is clearly in tandem with views by many political pundits and analysts who by and large believe that such elections of partisan parties at a micro level could drag in a high probability or tendency of protracted politickings of almost anything including petty issues, trifles and trivialities.
“Hawkers, sidewalk stalls, drainage, street lightings and interests of petty traders with their daily woes would be more than enough to attract heavy politickings between rivals and supporters of political parties seeking positions at city halls and council offices.
“Instead of the rakyat and community well-being as the main focus, politics and rhetorical exchanges and over-exaggerated petty issues and over-concentration of trivialities would take centre stage and drain those involved including government agencies of their time and energy to the brim of their patience.
“These over-politickings could cause development and upkeeping of a city, town or council area to be hampered and undermined.
“We definitely cannot afford the time and money to serve the citizenry be put to waste just to satisfy the big appetite people like Desmond Kho and his PH cohorts who have big appetite for elections, but have little to deliver after winning one.
“Such is the case that we all have been witnessing since PH took over after winning the general election,” said Idris in a statement today.
Idris was responding to Kho’s recent statement challenging Abang Johari to conduct local council elections.
Idris who is also Muara Tuang assemblyman said though PH has won, their federal government have been failing so far.
“They have failed to keep their promises. The litany of things in their manifesto are there just for show as a means to trick the rakyat of their votes,” said Idris.
He further pointed out that PH has a full list of promise unfulfilled.
“Kho should ask where are all the promises of the PH gone to? The 20 per cent royalty and the 50 per cent share of revenue collected for Sarawak are a few examples of the the big fat bluffs which they (PH) craftily and cleverly pulled in order to garner votes .
“There are a basket full of promises unfulfilled,” said Idris.
He said the time, money and energy that could be wasted in local council elections should best be conserved to serve the rakyat as being done now and before since the formation of Malaysia .
“The present system has proved to be working very well. The key point which our Chief Minister Abang Jo, always emphasises, is that the delivery of services for the rakyat is of paramount importance.
“Politics at certain level must be put aside in order to give way to the peoples’ need which is the delivery of services,” Idris stressed.
He further stated that involvement in General Election and Sarawak Election has been enough for the rakyat to be drawn into the galleries of politics.
“And since it is entrenched in the MA63 (the Malaysia Agreement 1963) that Sarawak local government is our domain and that the peoples’ interests are of paramount importance, the CM (Abang Johari) is correct to say that we should keep the status quo.
“There is more than just being good at pulling a trick in an election,” said Idris.
He said the people have seen enough of PKR and its PH partners who only wanted to be elected but in reality, are incapable of doing their job.
“They have not even proven anything much yet except their capabilities of making U-turns and plenty oxymoronic ideas which are easy to recall.
“It is extremely difficult to see positive reports and feedbacks from domestic or international professional analysts that commend PH Government in good term such as being efficient, brilliant and capable.
“Even Prime Minister Tun M himself has reservations on his own ministers . He has not accorded any outstanding credit to any of his ministers for a job well done . None that I know. None so far.
“So my advice to Kho – please just bite your own tongue. Do not try to criticise someone like our CM Abang Jo, who truly fights for Sarawak and who ‘makan garam dalam politik lebih lama dari anda’,” said Idris. — DayakDaily
