KUCHING: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s recent reply in parliament to a question by DAP’s Lanang MP Alice Lau did not go down well with Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru (PBDSB).
Its president Bobby William described the reply as “quite shocking” and gave the impression that Sarawakians would cause chaos.
Bobby said the Prime Minister should know better than to assume that Sarawakians would cause chaos because Sarawakians had always approached issues of MA63 and Sarawak autonomous rights in a professional and gentlemanly manner.
“Let it be known that Sarawakians have always been humble and respectful of others. “We are a multiracial state and multiracial harmony is our forte and upbringing from the day we were born,” he said.
Bobby stressed that Sarawakians were being vocal today because they had not been treated fairly by the central government.
He said Putrajaya must address issues such as the state’s rights as per MA63 that have been eroded over the years.
According to Bobby, Sarawakians have always demanded for equality in terms of being one of the three parties in the formation of Malaysia.
“Today we have been shortchanged, which is why Sarawakians are becoming vocal in hope that Putrajaya would relent,” Bobby said.
Bobby also took issue with the Lanang MP saying, she surely had many other more pertinent issues to raise in parliament instead of wanting to know how Sarawakians should be dealt with.
“Isn’t she a Sarawakian?
“Even though she is not in a local Sarawak political party, she should still be able to foresee the consequences of her question?
“Did she ask as a Sarawakian or did she ask just to impress her Malayan bosses?” Bobby asked.
“One would expect someone from DAP Malaya to raise the question Alice asked, but she being a Sarawakian, is a total disappointment,” Bobby said.
