KUCHING, May 12: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sarawak objects to Barisan Nasional (BN) Sarawak component parties joining Pakatan Harapan (PH).
In a statement last night, PKR Sarawak chairman Baru Bian said he along with the two other leaders of PH Sarawak discussed the matter earlier the same evening and they unanimously objected to Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) or any component party of BN Sarawak joining PH.
He said he had also written to PKR president Dato’ Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and the party’s secretary Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, to put on record their stand against the acceptance of any BN parties into PH.
“Our national PH leaders understand our position with regard to PBB (Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu). They are, in effect, the proxy of UMNO (United Malays National Organisation) in Sarawak, and their leaders have been allowed to abuse their power to gain excessive wealth, depriving our people of what is rightfully theirs.
“They have condemned and ridiculed us for our strong stand on issues such as NCR (native customary rights) and human rights abuses, etc by the state government authorities and powerful government figures. Not only that, they have mocked and insulted us, singling out the chairman of Pakatan Harapan (Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad), and sneered at our manifesto. For them to now express a desire to join us smacks of hypocrisy and we are entitled to question their motives.
“To accept any of the Sarawak BN parties into PH would be viewed as a betrayal of our people, who have been suppressed and oppressed by the BN government for so long. For us in PKR, a party that has ‘truth and justice’ as its raison d’etre, welcoming any BN party into Pakatan Harapan is simply unthinkable. As said by (Democratic Action Party Sarawak chairman) Chong Chieng Jen, it would be akin to accepting UMNO into PH,” said Baru in the statement.
“If any such approach is made by PBB or any other Sarawak BN party, we expect that the national PH leadership will consult with Chong, Fidzuan (state Parti Amanah Negara chairman Fidzuan Zaidi) and me from the outset. Any decision made must be by consensus within the coalition at both national and state levels,” said Baru. — DayakDaily
