Barisan and Opposition make final sales pitch
KUCHING: Both Barisan Nasional and the Opposition are raising Sarawak’s rights in the last mile campaign before polling day.
Urging Chinese voters here to unite behind Barisan, Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) president Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian said the community must not be left outside the state coalition following the general election.
“We must be united to fight together for Sarawak’s rights. The Sarawak bumiputra community will support the state Barisan with 25 MPs.
“If the Sarawak Chinese don’t vote for Barisan, people will interpret this as the Chinese don’t want to fight for Sarawak’s rights,” he told reporters at the Batu Kawa SUPP service centre here yesterday.
He was referring to Sarawak’s 31 parliament seats, out of which the six Chinese-majority urban seats had gone to DAP and PKR in the past elections.
Dr Sim, who is contesting in Stampin against state DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen, called on Sarawakians to “seize the opportunity” of returning all 31 seats to Barisan so that the state would have a stronger voice in negotiating for its rights with the federal government.
“Let us all be fully behind the state Barisan to take back our rights and address issues of concern to Sarawak in the Parliament,” he said.
He also appealed to voters to remain calm, think rationally and look at his track record and character.
“It’s a tough seat and every vote counts. I think this is an important election for Sarawak because the state Barisan is fighting together for our rights,” he said.
However, DAP’s Bandar Kuching candidate Kelvin Yii said both SUPP and the state Barisan were using Sarawak’s rights as “bait” to get voters’ support.
“Being part of the ruling government, they could have restored our rights under the Malaysia Agreement before the elections.
“If your campaign is based on returning our rights, why are there no specifics on what has been returned to Sarawak? All they talk about is for voters to help them get stronger so that they can negotiate,” he said.
Yii said on the contrary, Pakatan Harapan had spelt out the return of the state rights in its manifesto, including restoring Sarawak’s status as an equal partner in Malaysia, granting autonomy in the fields of education and healthcare, increasing the oil royalties from 5% to 20% and returning 50% of all taxes collected in Sarawak.