KUCHING, Nov 25 ― DAP’s Padungan state assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen today called on fellow Sarawakians to put aside their differences and come together to rebuild the country for the betterment of the people following the formation of the unity government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He said it is his sincere hope that the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) will be part of the unity federal government.
“It is now time to heal, reconcile, find commonalities and rebuild our beloved nation,” he said during the debate on the State Budget 2023 at the Sarawak State Assembly.
He said the formation of the unity government could be a new dawn in Malaysia and even in Sarawak.
“However, the unity government cannot be a truly unity government without the participation of GPS, the coalition governing Sarawak and having the largest number of Members of Parliament from Sarawak,” he stressed.
Chong, who is also the state DAP chairman, said he strongly believes that only a government led by Anwar can steer the country towards better political stability, instil principles of good governance which will allow the country to progress as well as attract foreign investments.
“And such a choice was proven right as when he was named the prime minister, Malaysia’s stocks surged the most in over two years since March 2020 on bullish market sentiments and the ringgit gained 1.9 per cent against the dollar, becoming the best performer in Asia since the announcement,” he said.
He said if Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin were to become the prime minister after the 15th general election, the Islamist party PAS would be a dominant force in the federal government.
“We will see our country heading towards a more conservative, extremist and religiously divisive direction that will threaten the fundamental social fabric of our country which is multiracial, multi-religious, multilingual and multicultural.
“The pluralistic society of the country will then be at stake,” he said.
He said Pakatan Harapan (PH) choosing Anwar as the prime minister is by no means a perfect choice, but in politics, “though we all strive for the ideal but we are constrained to operate in a non-ideal situation.”
“Nevertheless, this does not mean we are whitewashing or excusing the issues faced by some of the leaders in Barisan Nasional or other possible political partners, but we had to do all that we can to stop the spread of extremism and toxic politics in our country that will affect us all including us Sarawakians,” he said.
Chong reminded Sarawakians that they cannot be so naive to think that divisive sentiments, such religious and racial extremism in peninsular Malaysia does not affect them.
He noted that thousands of Sarawakian students studying at public universities in the peninsula, exposing themselves to such negative and divisive sentiments, apart from continuous migration into the state that brings the risk of such sentiments further infiltrating the harmonious society.
“As Sarawakians, what we want is a multiracial federal government in Putrajaya that embraces pluralism and to treat all Malaysians regardless of our race, religion or backgrounds fairly, and not one who instigates, spew hatred and play with racial and religious tension to further divide us Malaysians,” he said.
