Sarawak government did nothing to stop the erosion, charges S4S movement leader

By Caroline Ujang

KUCHING, April 10, 2016: Sarawak For Sarawak (S4S) movement leader Peter John Jaban said Sarawak's rights inherited from the Rajah James Brooke and Britain have been eroded because the Sarawak government did nothing to stop the erosion.

 (From left to right): PBDS deputy president Patrick Anek, PBDS committee member Cobbold John, SUPP Youth member Milton Foo, SUPP Pelawan secretary Michael Tiang, S4S movement leader Peter John Jaban, PKR Sarawak chairman Baru Bian, debate moderator Karen Sheppherd and PKR Sarawak vice chairman See Chee How.

"Over the past years, since 1963, we see our rights to our natural resources, education and oil and gas were being eroded  and that heads of federal departments are mostly Malayan officers," he said at the introduction to the Safeguard Sarawak: First Debate here today.

Peter said the Malaysia Agreement 1963, Inter-Governmental Committee Report and the Cobbold Commission are not being honoured by the federal government.

"Sarawak was one of the four founding partners of the Federation of Malaysia, the richest in terms of natural resources, and yet we are the poorest state," he complained.

He said Sarawak should be treated as equal partner to Malaya, and not as treated as one of the 13 states in Malaysia.

"Over the years, Sarawak was given low allocation, low oil royalty and our religious freedom is being tampered with," he said.

Peter said during the time of the Rajah Brooke and when Sarawak was a colony of Britain, the indigenous natives were classified as "Dayaks", but now the federal government categorised them as "Lain Lain".

"Are the Dayaks not citizens of Malaysia?" he asked.

Peter asked the Sarawak voters to only elect political parties contesting in the state elections who protect Sarawak's safeguards .

"We are the masters and we decide who or which parties should represent us in the Sarawak Assembly.

"We do not want a dumb and deaf and sleeping wakil rakyat," he said, calling on over 300,000 people who signed the S4S petition calling on the state government to table a Referendum Ordinance, to vote for candidates and political parties who champion Sarawak's rights.

He said the figure 300,000 is a force to be reckoned with as it represents more than 10% of Sarawak's total population.

He said the 300,000 people are not just come from one community, but consisted of the Chinese, Malays and Dayaks.

The panelists at the debate were PKR Sarawak chairman Baru Bian, Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) deputy president Patrick Anek Uren and SUPP Pelawan branch secretary Michael Tiang.

About  800 people packed the Kenyalang Theatre where the debate was held.