By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, March 27: Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Stakan branch chairman Dato Sim Kiang Chiok has said that any move towards granting equal Bumiputera status and privileges to non-Bumiputera groups, including third-generation Sarawakian Chinese, deserves careful and open-minded consideration.
He was responding to recent remarks by Julau MP Datuk Larry Sng on an alleged survey suggesting that Sarawak’s Malay and Dayak communities have no objection to such a policy shift.
“In my opinion, if the findings of this survey are accurate and reflective of the broader sentiment on the ground, then such a policy deserves serious consideration,” Sim said in a statement today.
He noted that Sarawak has always prided itself on its multiracial harmony and mutual respect among communities.
Moving towards a more equal footing, he added, could strengthen this foundation, creating a fairer and more level playing field while reducing any lingering sense of superiority or inferiority tied to race-based classifications.
Sim further emphasised that the focus of government policies should increasingly be on merit, capability, and genuine need, rather than racial categorisation.
“This shift is not about diminishing any community’s rights, but about uplifting all Sarawakians collectively,” he said.
He also highlighted that Sarawak, being a resource-rich state, has opportunities to be shared among all its people.
A more inclusive and equitable approach, he said, could help retain local talent, reduce brain drain, and build a stronger, more competitive economy for the future.
“Ultimately, unity in diversity has always been Sarawak’s strength. Any step that reinforces inclusivity, fairness, and shared prosperity should be carefully considered in that spirit,” Sim added.
Yesterday (March 26), Sng uploaded a video clip of himself on the podcast show ‘The Tuak Talk’, suggesting that the Sarawak government consider granting Bumiputera status to third-generation non-Bumiputeras in the State.
He said Sarawakians who have contributed to the State and whose families have lived in Sarawak for at least three generations—about 100 years—should be given equal recognition as other Sarawak natives, adding that the proposal reportedly received no objections from members of the Malay and Dayak communities. — DayakDaily
