Barisan Nasional’s decision to sit out the Sarawak polls comes as no surprise. It knows it would fare very badly in Sarawak and that would be bad for its tainted image. BN has never been fair to Sarawak, and Sarawakians will definitely take this opportunity to punish it at the polls.
The coming state election will be an important one not only for Sarawak but also for the entire nation. It will be the forerunner of things to come.
The Sarawak polls will be the barometer for the direction this nation will be taking. Sarawakians will determine whether Malaysia will become Sharia-compliant as promised by Umno or if they will take a strong stand to put a stop to this regression to the medieval.
The fact that BN – meaning Umno – has decided to sit out the Sarawak polls is a clear indication that local sentiments are against Umno and what it stands for. Umno would have known this and dare not risk a drubbing in Sarawak.
We hope and pray this strong sentiment will be directed against Gabungan Parti Sarawak as well. GPS is, according to many, no more than Umno’s proxy in the Sarawak polls: BN has stated it will give moral backing to GPS in the polls. In this instance, a vote for GPS will be seen as a vote for Umno. A vote for GPS, some believe, will pave the way for the Islamisation of Malaysia.
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Sarawak continues to be poor despite contributing so much in taxes and wealth from petroleum. Sarawak, however, has not benefited from the petroleum wealth, receiving a miserly 5% royalty. This should be a valid grievance to be highlighted during the campaign, and there should be a demand to know how much wealth petroleum has yielded throughout the years.
It is totally unacceptable that the income from petroleum should only be privy to the prime minister. It is the PM who receives the statement of accounts and he alone solely decides how this money is to be spent. He is not accountable to anyone and he cannot be questioned.
Even Parliament remains in the dark. We are talking about the people’s wealth. Shouldn’t this be tabled in Parliament so that Parliament can decide how to use this money for the common good? What is happening goes against good governance, transparency and parliamentary democracy.
Malaysians are pinning their hopes on Sarawakians to put a halt to this unhealthy practice. This is the time to demand accountability.
The country is seemingly slipping into chaos and disharmony unless we collectively take a principled stand and say enough is enough!
The outcome of the Sarawak’s poll will set the trend and reflect the voting pattern for the coming general election. Let the change begin with the Sarawak election. Let Sarawak lead the way for a safer and better Malaysia.
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
The fact that BN stays out, could also mean that BN has no interest for the Sarawakians!