ONE truly wonders if the courtesy call by DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook to Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg at his residence in Kuching this morning ‘will open up the heart’ of the former who helms Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) to accept Pakatan Harapan (PH).
Nevertheless, the goodwill gesture could not have come at a better time given that GPS which originally was so gung-ho of forming a coalition government with the PAS-dominant Perikatan Nasional (PN) along with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) had its intention cut short following a backlash by the state’s Christian majority populace.
Ba’kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian from Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) was the latest politician to highlight the need to preserve Sarawak’s multiracial and multi-religious harmony.
He went on to openly state that Sarawak Christians rejected PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who had recently claimed in a TikTok video clip that Jews and Christians were using PH to Christianise Malaysia.
Commenting on his friendly discussion with Abang Johari, Loke who won the Seremban parliamentary seat on Saturday’s (Nov 19) GE15 had apologised on behalf of DAP “if there is any statement ever made by any DAP leader that offends the government and the people of Sarawak”.
“I hope today’s meeting will open a new chapter to build understanding and cooperation for the sake of a more developed and progressive Malaysia,” Loke pointed out without elaborating if his meeting with Abang Johari also touched on prospects of any political collaboration between PH and GPS.
It is worth noticing that in recent times, DAP’s Batu Kitang branch chairman Abdul Aziz Isa has used the Parliament Hansard dated July 13, 1976 to demonstrate that “from the very beginning, DAP is the only political party (then and now) consistently defending the rights of Sabah and Sarawak.”
Referring to the constitutional amendment of Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution which eventually downgraded the status of Sabah and Sarawak as merely 12th and 13th states within the Federation of Malaysia, he lamented that MPs from Sabah and Sarawak were the ones who supported the amendment”.
“Surprisingly, not known to history, those MPs who opposed the third and final reading of the bill was Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Kota Melaka), Dr Tan Chee Koon (Pekemas-Batu), Farn Seong Than (DAP-Sungai Besi) and Lee Lam Thye (DAP-Bukit Bintang),” he stressed in a social media post.
“We have seen many times how BN Sarawak and their successor GPS are continuously spreading their propaganda saying that ‘DAP is a Malayan party’, ‘DAP cannot protect the rights of Sarawakians’, ‘only a local party can protect Sarawak”, etc. However, one thing is for sure, BN/GPS can’t undo history.”
Added Abdul Aziz: “History has proven itself that it was the local political parties who eroded Sarawak’s rights and it was the so-called ‘Malayan party’ like DAP who defended the rightful status of Sarawak.” – Nov 24, 2022
