PBDSB to snub invitation to join any coalition

KUCHING: Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru (PBDSB) will decline any offer from Pakatan Harapan ( PH) or Barisan Nasional ( BN) to join them.

PBDSB is a local Sarawak party promoting the Bansa Dayak concept apart from supporting, fighting and defending the Dayak agenda.

“It is a Dayak party with the ‘orang asal’ endeavours,” said its president Cobbold John through a press statement in response to state PH chairman Chong Chieng Jen’s comment that PBDS had never indicated joining the coalition.

“PBDSB wants to set the records straight in this press statement - that PBDSB is a stand- alone political mainly for Sarawakian Dayaks in general. Many have claimed that PBDSB is a BN-friendly party whereas PBDSB has never been or never will be like the real BN-friendly UPP or Teras,” he said.

“PH or even BN Dayak should learn from the past...must remember the root cause which causes Dayaks to be in the sad predicament today. Issues linked to NCR land, education and statelessness are just a few of the many issues still unresolved. Being divided and sidelined in most aspects are the major problems facing Dayak society today. It is no longer a rumour that the two regimes ( PH and BN) rely tremendously on Dayak votes to provide the extra leverage to win or remain in government,” he said.

Cobbold said Dayaks needed to stand on their own and be firm about the current scenario they are facing.

“A good example is the initial selection of the board and management of Petros - the state petroleum company. Initially, an indication shows potential Sarawakian candidates but within the initial listings, Dayaks were never even considered at all,” he said.

“Dayaks are Sarawakians and Malaysians too. The composition of race should have been indicated clearly and fairly from the initial stage, to show sincerity to include Dayaks or recently also known as ‘Non-Muslim Bumiputeras’. At least it sounds better than the term ‘lain lain’,” he said.

PBDSB Youth chief Rapelson Richard Hamit, meanwhile, said the post of the prime minister must be rotated between three regions - Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak.

He also hoped that the new government ( be it BN or PH) after the forthcoming general election would also consider deputy prime Minister I from Malaya, deputy prime minister II from Sarawak and deputy prime minister III from Sabah.

“We ( Sarawak) are equal partners with Malaya and Sabah in the formation of Malaysia Federation and I hope there is also a prime minister from Sabah and Sarawak.

“We ( PBDSB) are fighting for Sarawak as an equal partner with Malaya and Sabah. We want sustainable development, fair and equitable rights for all Sarawakians. Now that 2020 is around the corner but Vision 2020 is still a failure under BN. If Sarawak’s rights were not being safeguarded and protected, why should we be with Malaysia? We (Sarawak) want our rights to be restored.”