Chong urged to also fight for Sarawak’s rights
KUCHING: The youth wing of Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) is urging Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Chong Chieng Jen to focus his attention on fighting for Sarawak’s rights, and not only making political statements.
The youth wing felt that Chong, who is Sarawak Pakatan Harapan ( PH) chairman and also Sarawak DAP chief, and also a deputy minister in the federal cabinet, to do more in helping Sarawak to retains its rights.
SUPP youth chief Michael Tiang and secretary Milton Foo told a news conference at SUPP headquarters here yesterday that Chong should continue fighting for Sarawak, which includes fighting for the 20 per cent oil royalty, education and health matters as outlined in PH election manifesto.
“Every time Chong comes back from Kuala Lumpur, he is always on ‘fire’, and some of his statements lately are full of ‘ fire’, but 160 days after the general election, Sarawakians have yet to hear any Sarawak- centric policies of the PH government, which the people are waiting.
“Wearenotaskingforovernightmiracle and magic from the PH government. Sarawakians are a reasonable and patient lot, we just want Chong and his colleague to tell us how much time they need to do the above,” Tiang said.
Tiang also asked Chong to state his (Chong) stance; whether to support the Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg’s suggestion to have a special committee for talks on MA63 to be modelled along the line of InterGovernmental Committee ( IGC), and to restore equal partnership rights of Sarawak, adding that Chong had been very quiet about the matter.
Tiang went on to urge Chong, through the federal government, to fight for new infrastructure projects to Sarawak that could provide job opportunities to locals, rather than to review the Pan Borneo Highway projects, and cancelled other projects with the excuse that it was not in the budget list or just ‘ hot air’ projects.
Foo, on the other hand, urged Chong to give Sarawakians what have been promised in the election manifesto, and to tell Sarawakians how many direct investment have come to Sarawak following RM6.4 million spent by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his entourage for overseas trips.
He also questioned PH government’s focus on the abolition of the death sentence, which only affect more than 2,000 prisoners on death row, rather than focusing on economic issues, which affect 30 million Malaysians.
Foo also dared the federal government, especially Chong, to hold a public referendum to gauge the people’s support to abolish the death penalty.