By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, Jan 19: Sarawak Association for People’s Aspiration (SAPA) president Dominique Ng speculated that the federal government would not return anything of substance to Sarawak.
To him, the federal government would only return rights that did not matter.
“Seriously and honestly, I don’t have confidence in them (the federal government). What they will return are things that are of no consequence, not significant and there won’t be much financially.
“It will just be something showy but no substance. This is the unfortunate part,” Ng told DayakDaily while attending the Solidarity Gathering held today at Padang Merdeka organised by civil NGO Sarawak Loyalty Club.
He believed despite ongoing negotiations on returning Sarawak’s rights between the federal government and Sarawak government, Sarawakians had to prepare for this eventuality.
“What if we are taken for a ride? Surely 50 years plus since 1963 is long enough. Are we going to be taken on a ride for another 50 years? I don’t think so.”
“What will happen if eventuality is acknowledged? What are we going to do next? I am already setting in motion, a non-political movement.
“It is fighting for our rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963, Sarawak’s rights generally and indeed, I would like to echo what Datuk Dr Jeffery Kitingan is saying – ‘you either fix it or we exit’,” said Ng.
He said, that generally, Sarawakians were still giving Malaysia a chance and the federal government must “fix it” well.
“We are giving them (the federal government) a chance. Don’t take us for granted again,” said Ng.
He said the legal team which was planning to take the federal government to court was in the midst of drafting the suit.
“Now, I am elected the president of SAPA, I will bring the team under SAPA. We are organising ourselves and we will focus on activities like today’s gathering.”
On politics, Ng said it was the time for the third force to come into play.
He said the previous federal government was toppled and if the present Sarawak government failed to deliver, the same fate would befall the present ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).
“They (GPS) mean well but if they have too much political baggage. They have too many things behind the scene which they can’t abandon.”
He described the baggage as individuals within the coalition party members, saying that as “there are a lots of big shots behind ” who “are the same players and part of the same team”.
Ng said he was willing to forgive and accept those who changed genuinely, citing the late Chief Minister Pehin Sri Adenan Satem who was sincere in fighting for the rights of Sarawak and who was the initiator of Sarawak’s fight.
To Ng, while GPS had too much baggage, he had no confidence in Pakatan Harapan coaliton.
“I think it is about time for there to be a third force. Sarawak must come to a realisation that without an alternative force to GPS and PH, we will not have the future we want.”
“There must be a third force to watch over both the GPS and PH government and force them to come to the reality to acknowledge what Sarawakians want,” said Ng.
On the Solidarity Gathering, he said that today was a significant date in Sarawak history as it was on this day in 1864 the British government recognised Sarawak as a sovereign nation.
Ng was invited to attend the gathering and was also invited to lead the Buddhist prayer at the onset of the gathering.
“I think this is the first time a Buddhist prayer has been done on Padang (Merdeka), in a public function.”
“This is the uniqueness of Sarawak. We are multi racial and we are very happily motivated as a multiracial society, unlike what is unfortunately happening in West Malaysia,” he said. — DayakDaily
