S’wak rep takes Pandikar Amin to task on debate challenge
MIRI: Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau has criticised Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia over the latter’s biased views on Sarawak’s rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), saying this goes to show that he (Pandikar Amin) has little or no heart at all for rural Sarawakians.
Dennis said Pandikar Amin had no idea about the cries and pleas of the rural communities for the government to provide them with basic necessities like 24-hour electricity and clean water supply, roads, clinics, telecommunication towers, rebuilding or repair works on old school buildings and other amenities.
“The playing field has always been unfair to rural communities of Sarawak when it comes to the distribution of development funds by the federal government; therefore depriving them of facilities needed to uplift our standard of living,” Dennis told The Borneo Post yesterday.
He said it was because the federal government had been treating Sarawak as one of 14 states in Malaysia, despite the fact that Malaysia was formed by Malaya, Sarawak, Sabah and Singapore.
“If the MA63 had been retained and respected, Sarawak would have got what she is supposed to get for development and provide basic infrastructure in the very rural parts of the state.
“Now, with all the 14 states given equal treatment, Sarawak which is as big as the whole of Peninsular Malaysia is getting only one share. How much can the yearly allocation by the federal government to Sarawak help in terms of infrastructure development?” Dennis argued.
The assemblyman was responding to the challenge by Pandikar Amin for a debate with Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg on MA63.
“Returning to the original point in the agreement as the basis of ruling the country is the only way I see for the rural community of Sarawak to enjoy progress because the country’s revenue will then be given to Sarawak accordingly; this will give us more means to develop our infrastructure and basic amenities in the most immediate way.
“In Telang Usan alone, we need at least RM10 billion to develop all the basic road network system connecting every single longhouse and settlement. As it is now, it might take another 100 years for my constituency of Telang Usan to enjoy allweather motorable road as what the people in the peninsula enjoy today,” he added.
Dennis questioned the silence of the opposition parties over the issue.
“This to me clearly goes to show that the opposition is just using Sarawak’s rights as a political game and use it to gain power and later, conveniently forgetting all about the real struggles,” he said.
As a people’s representative of a rural constituency, Dennis said he fully supported the effort undertaken by state leaders and the government.
“We will stand solidly and firmly behind our state leaders and at the same time, we hope that Pandikar Amin would realise his mistake and would retract his words and work closely with Sarawak and Sabah for the betterment of their people.
“I also hope that the Prime Minister would make known his stand on the matter,” he added.