Press Statement
by Wong Ho Leng, DAP Sarawak State Chairman
at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
on Thursday. 10th October 2002

The electorates in Gaya must insist that their wakil in Parliament is not one who steers according to the wind of the Barisan Nasional
 

On 12th October, 2002, the electorates in Gaya will exercise their sacred but fundamental rights to elect their representative in Parliament

With PBS having returned to the breast of the Barisan Nasional, a political lacunae exists in Sabah. The Barisan Nasional Government is now able to govern the state without any check and balance. An Opposition wakil is badly needed to play the role of an auditor.

Only Sabahans know too well how imperfect a Government can be, so that an Opposition auditor is critically necessary.

The present One-Party rule by the Barisan Nasional in Sabah requires that someone capable and trustworthy is needed to play the auditor role.

Let that role be played by a Party with a proven track record. Let that be played by a DAP wakil from Gaya. Let Gaya be the harbinger and beacon of democracy in Sabah.

Since 1963 Sabah and Sarawak were fated as twin sisters - they joined to form Malaysia. They enjoy autonomy over several matters which, in the case of Sabah, are enshrined in the 20 Points Agreement. These include autonomy over immigration.

The only political characteristic that differentiated Sabah from Sarawak was that Sabah was at one time ruled by a party from the Opposition, PBS. That has now changed. Sabah and Sarawak are now both run entirely by the BN Government. There is not a single Opposition wakil in Parliament from these 2 states. This is unhealthy as our country professes to practice Parliamentary democracy. There cannot be true democracy without check and balances from the Opposition.

The ruling Government itself is unable to provide its own check and balance.

Sabah shares with Sarawak as two of the poorest states in Malaysia. But the people in both states are vehemently in agreement that both Sabah and Sarawak have abundant natural resources like timber and oil. Over the years both states have contributed immensely to the federal coffer. Yet the depletion of forest resources are not matched by a prudent sustainable forest management policy. From the rich oil reserves, the federal Government merely allows a paltry 5% royalty from oil and gas to Sabah and Sarawak.

The people in Sabah, as with Sarawak, have the right to demand fairness in development and just

distribution of wealth.

Another feature shared by Sabah and Sarawak is that both governments do not see the need to provide annual financial allocations to Chinese education, particularly Chinese Independent Schools. That sum that used to be allocated to these schools in Sabah had been recently withdrawn.

Both Sabah and Sarawak share the largest number of schools in Malaysia without electricity supply thereby hampering, thwarting and jeopardizing our children in partaking the quantum leap in Information Technology. Unless the issue is redressed, our children in both states will lag behind their Peninsular counterpart in education and Information Technology.

These imbalances have developed because there was a dire absence of strong and viable Opposition parties in Sabah to monitor and check the actions of the BN government both in Parliament and in the state assembly.

Compared with Sabah, Sarawak fairs better in its Dewan Undangan Negeri with one wakil from the DAP and one from the Independent out of a total of 62 seats. Sabah's state legislature is completely monopolized by the Barisan Nasional.

Sabahans, therefore, need opposition parties more than any other states in the country.

Sabahans cherish a democratic, transparent and accountable government. The time has come for the

electorates in Gaya to deliver this message to Parliament.

The Gaya by-election is important not only to the DAP but also to the people in Sabah.

After years of dormancy, DAP Sabah is in the course of reformation. A victory in this by-election will provide the much needed impetus and confidence to the DAP leaders and supporters in Sabah.

DAP has a proven track record. DAP leaders had made tremendous sacrifices. Many of its leaders had been arrested under the ISA or jailed for upholding and defending the rights of the people. Nonetheless, for 36 years DAP leaders have stood firm in their unwavering opposition against corrupt practices and abuses of power by the BN government. DAP leaders have passed the acid test by having dedicated their lives to these political causes. They have shown themselves to be trustworthy.

In Parliament, the elected MPs from DAP have times and times again demonstrated that they are the mouthpieces of the people and the watchdogs of Government administration.

The electorates in Gaya must insist that their wakil in Parliament is not one who steers according to the wind of the Barisan Nasional. The wakil should be one who can speak independently as an auditor of Government shortcomings and malpractices, while at the same time having the courage and dedication to bring the people's grouses to Parliament.

I urge the electorates in Gaya to exercise their rights wisely and courageously. Let DAP be your choice. Let DAP speak a different voice for all Sabahans for the next 2 years.