KUCHING, March 10: Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB)’s move to set up task forces to resolve urban communities issues in southern, central and northern regions of Sarawak has left Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) president Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing amused.
Tiong thus questioned what have PSB leaders been doing all the while to only find the time now to care about the people.
“PSB leaders have been part of the Sarawak government before but you would not see them actively resolving urban or even rural issues in the local council.
“Now we are seeing them setting up task forces as if they finally found some time to care about the public.
“Have they found some free time (now) after all their years of politicking? Or have they finally uncovered some skills they think they have? Were the ministerial posts that their president Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh used to hold just some dream he had?” he asked in a statement issued today.
Tiong, who is also Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to China, was commenting about Wong’s announcement yesterday (March 9) on setting up a southern region task force to mainly address issues and concerns faced by the urban communities.
Wong added that a similar task force will be formed in the central and northern regions which overall initiative will be headed by Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How, who is also a PSB Presidential Council member.
“PSB announced (the initiative) with great fanfare. They made it sound like a momentous occasion but it is really just another ‘wayang’ to deceive the people,” Tiong added.
If PSB were really sincere in resolving urban and rural issues, he then pointed out that Wong would have then lent his support on the issues he had raised over the years.
“When Wong was a state cabinet minister, he would have realised long ago that there are many unresolved problems. Is now the moment for shameless self-promotion? Why is the political veteran Wong now making it clear that he intends to do something?” he asked.
Tiong, who is also Bintulu MP, viewed that Wong’s skilled self-promotion only served to create helplessness among the public.
He could not understand why Wong, who was once Minister for Local Government and Housing, seemed to be waking up only now.
“Was urban and rural planning of Sibu within the scope of his portfolio then? Didn’t he discuss the issues with the relevant local departments like the State Planning Authority (SPA) to discuss local development blueprints on how to develop rural areas?” he further questioned.
On PSB strategies to hold townhall sessions and live broadcasts to hear the views of the public and find solutions, Tiong criticised that these half-measures were clearly not done to cure the root causes of issues but to just please the public.
“How is it different from the DAP’s (Democratic Action Party) usual methods of boasting and doing the opposite?
“The end game for them is to cover up their own mistakes and rely on the usual deceit to trick voters. If our politicians continue on in a similar fashion, they will not do any practical work at all, and it would be disastrous for Malaysian politics.
“How could these politicians live with themselves? Are they willing to watch the collapse of the country’s political system before they care to clean up the mess?,” he asked.
Tiong reminded that political parties were not supposed to ask for the support of the people but to work for it.
“Political parties must not resort to the DAP’s tactics of sowing fear and despair in order to win political mileage. However, it looks like the current trend in PSB looks to be headed that way,” he stressed. -DayakDaily
