Masing: PKR not serious

by Peter Sibon. Posted on November 24, 2010, Wednesday

KUCHING: The defeat of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sarawak chief, Baru Bian, in a contest for one of the party’s vice-president posts recently, was strong evidence that PKR does not take the interest of the state seriously.

As such, Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Dato Sri Dr James Masing has called on Sarawakians to reject the peninsula-based party.
“I am not surprised by Baru’s defeat. PKR has never considered Sarawak as a serious partner in the scheme of their national politics.
“Sarawak PKR, out of their naivety, thinks their advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would consider them seriously. Thus, I hope they would learn their lesson when dealing with him,” Masing told The Borneo Post here yesterday.
Masing said the lack of top party representation from Sarawak will not augur well for PKR especially in the coming state election.
He said PKR would find it difficult to convince Sarawakians to vote for its candidate as it did not show in its election results that Sarawak was important to the party.
“I would like to urge Sarawakians, especially our rural people, not to take PKR seriously. Actually, the party has nothing to offer to them,” he said.
Masing’s contention was that even if PKR managed to capture some seats in the coming election, they would still play second fiddle to their political masters in the peninsula.
“PKR Sarawak leaders will always play a minor role in the party. This is because the party is alien to us. They do not really understand our socio-economic condition, cultures and traditions,” he said.
As such, to consolidate the state’s power in the country’s politics, Masing, who is also the Minister of Land Development, urge the people to contine giving their undivided support to the state Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties.
“Sarawak-based BN parties will play by the rule and will continue to protect the rights of the people and further develop the state,” he said.
Meanwhile, Masing who is also Baleh assemblyman, said he was happy with the number of participants in a seminar organised by the Department of Agriculture held at Rumah Peter in Mujong, Kapit over the weekend.
Among the participants were 42 longhouse chiefs from Baleh constituency and 80 were community leaders from other places.
Also present were political secretaries to the chief minister, Wilson Naybong and Angeline Umis.
At the function, Masing also gave out his 2010 minor rural project (MRP) funds amounting to RM760,000 to 120 recipients.