‘DAP should have contacted DBKU over road signs’
KUCHING: Democratic Action Party ( DAP) Sarawak should have requested Kuching North City Commission ( DBKU) to restore the missing Chinese characters on the road signs in the city centre rather than taking the matter into their own hands, says a Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) leader.
According to SUPP Stakan branch chairman Sim Kiang Chiok, the street names in the historic part of the city have their Chinese names and DBKU had allowed Chinese characters to be affixed to the road signs.
“Gambier, India, Ewe Hai, Carpenter, Bishopgate, China, Upper China, these streets have their Chinese names on the respective road signs.
“However, the road signs for Main Bazaar, Wayang Street and Green Hill have their Chinese characters missing. DAP Sarawak should write to request DBKU to restore the missing Chinese characters instead of doing it themselves,” he said in a statement yesterday, in response to the state DAP affixing Chinese characters to some road signs in the city centre on Thursday.
Sim pointed out that the mentioned roads are in the city’s heritage area and hold much of the city’s history.
He said even the Chinese names of those streets had its meaning and reflected the state’s rich diverse culture and traditions.
Citing Carpenter Street as an example, he said its Chinese name ‘Attap Street’ because the roofs of the original shops of the street that was burnt down in the late 1800 were made of Nipah palm fronds or attap in local Malay. DAP should not have taken the matter into its own hands as the lawmakers in the party should not be the lawbreakers themselves.
“They are setting a very bad example to all and might create chaos and lawlessness for our orderly Sarawak. Their act is totally not acceptable of a political party with many members who are lawyers.”
In Stakan, Sim said the local authority had recently faced similar problem with the DAP trying to capitalise on technical issue about missing Chinese characters on road signs.
He added that those missing road names in Chinese were promptly restored by the council – Padawan Municipal Council (MPP).
He felt that Sarawakians should stop being misled or having their emotions stirred up by the DAP.
“They had not performed in the 22 months as part of the federal government and had shown to us that they did not have the ability to hold on to their promises,” Sim said.