by Karen Bong
KUCHING, Oct 23: Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Youth secretary Milton Foo urged the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government to get its priorities right instead of focusing on non-urgent issues like abolishing the death penalty and setting the colour of school shoes and socks.
He questioned whether this was a tactic to divert the attention of the people at this critical time when the people were expecting the government to solve the economic problems of the country that were affecting citizens’ pockets and daily lives.
“This shows only one thing, (their tactic) which is to cover their (PH government) inability to save Malaysia and give us a new ‘harapan’ (hope),” he told a press conference at the SUPP headquarters today.
The PH government’s plan to abolish the death penalty for all crimes and halt pending executions, Foo claimed, would probably just affect 2,000 people compared to the plight of 30 million Malaysians struggling in their daily lives.
“There will be no end to controversial opinions over whether to abolish the death penalty or not. The PH government may have the mandate to rule Malaysia but not abolish the death penalty,” he argued.
He challenged the PH government, especially Democratic Action Party (DAP) chairman Chong Chieng Jen who is part of the federal cabinet, to hold a public referendum to let citizens decide whether they are for or against the motion to abolish the death penalty.
“They need to focus on more immediate and bigger issues affecting people’s lives and definitely not about the death penalty which is nothing urgent,” he said.
On the PH government having spent RM64 million of taxpayers’ money on official international work visits and tours by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and other officials, Foo asked if any foreign investments had been secured for the benefit of Sarawak.
“Has DAP Sarawak urged the PH government to at least put some investments in Sarawak? After all the official overseas visits by PM (Dr Mahathir), we have not heard of any good news about foreign investors coming to Sarawak,” he said.
“Isn’t Sarawak within Malaysia? So I want to ask YB Chong if he has fought for this or other mega projects through your (his) power in the government,” he added. — DayakDaily
