SANTUBONG, April 15: Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing urged all the party’s Youth members to act sensibly and to not be overly Dayak-centric in the coming general election (GE14).
“You may have a lot of ideas and inspirations, but at times, it can be out of hand. While some of your ideas are great, some are foolish especially when you cannot control your greed, pride, or (do not know) how to control your enemies,” Masing said at the closing ceremony for the ‘PRS Argo Empowerment Programme’ here today.
“You all argue, you share your great ideas, but you cannot just simply command or conquer if you do not have the support of the central leader. There is nothing you can win if you act foolish or go out of control with your ideas, so do not be stupid,” he added.
Admitting that everyone has their differences, Masing said he understood the members’ sentiments when the opposition or backstabbers go all out to destroy the party or candidate’s credibility, but there are always proper channels to work things out.
He also told them to “not go for votes at the price you cannot win.”
Masing, who is also Deputy Chief Minister said it is impossible to be Dayak-centric in Sarawak because there are other people living in Sarawak apart from the Dayak community.
There are approximately 1.5 million hectares of native customary rights (NCR) land in Sarawak and the Dayaks are the majority when it comes to controlling the land, while the Chinese control businesses and Malays control the civil services.
“Having said that, we Dayaks must not be selfish, thinking that only we should control our land and not others. It has to be a sharing concept, where we have the land, then the Malays and Chinese help us to develop.
“Your land is literally useless unless you develop it. This is where others come in, to teach us on how to make use of our land and this is what the state government has been trying to do,” Masing said.
Touching on the ‘Argo Pemuda PRS’ election machinery, Masing said, “in you lies the future of Sarawak, in you lies the future of Dayak society.”
He also called upon the Youth members to work alongside each other to achieve a common vision.
Unity among the PRS Youth is a must, he said, and it was his hope that they will have a unanimous heart and voice to follow the agenda planned by their leaders.
Meanwhile, Masing also reminded elected representatives that their positions are not for life.
“The position is not for you to keep for life. A “Yang Berhormat” (YB) is a position that belongs to the people; do not think that because you are elected as a YB, you can keep it for life. It is the rakyat’s confidence that have landed you the position as a YB in the first place.” — DayakDaily
