Masing’s claim over One Malaysia ‘highly regrettable’, says PKR man
KUCHING: Any attempt by the federal government to take away Sarawak’s immigration autonomy would almost certainly fail as no right-minded Sarawakian would support such a move.
PKR Mas Gading deputy branch chairman Francis Teron Kadap said the claim by Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing that Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s version of One Malaysia would include erasing Sarawak’s right on immigration was ‘highly regrettable’.
“Any such move to take away Sarawak’s immigration autonomy would require a twothirds majority in Parliament as it requires amending the Constitution. It won’t be that easy (as made out by Masing) and no right-minded Sarawakian ( MP) would support such a move,” he said in a statement yesterday.
He also said Masing should know that Dr Mahathir’s One Malaysia is merely a slogan to foster better integration between Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak, much like the 1Malaysia concept adopted by former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
“It has nothing to do with taking away our control over our rights to control the influx on non-Sarawakians into Sarawak,” he stressed.
Francis added that he found it ‘ ironic’ that Masing would talk about Sarawak’s rights being at risk of being taken away, when his own party’s MPs had failed to support the constitutional amendment which had sought to cement the foundation for the return of Sarawak’s eroded rights.
“On the other hand, we had seen in the past that such rights and powers had been abused by the then Barisan Nasional government of Sarawak, to bar certain individuals from entering the state for mere political reasons, and not so much of protecting our rights.”
Masing, during an event at a longhouse in Ngemah over the weekend, was reported to have told those gathered that Sarawak would lose its immigration autonomy if Dr Mahathir’s version of One Malaysia is accepted.
He also said the prime minister’s son Datuk Seri Mukhriz harboured the same sentiment as his father.