PRS Youth must be sleeping that it does not know what are happening in Sarawak

By  Simon Siah Sy Jen,

Deputy chairman,

PKR Youth Sarawak

Of late, there seems to be a lot of people barking up the wrong tree.  One case in point is the PRS Youth yesterday challenging YB Baru Bian to state his stand on hudud. It appears that PRS Youth has caught the disease from DAP a bit too slowly when it is already yesterday’s news that PKR and YB Baru Bian have stated their stand on the issues of hudud very clearly.

It just goes to show that PRS Youth probably do not keep up with current affairs in Sarawak if until today they still do not know PKR and YB Baru’s stand on hudud.  His statements on hudud have been published in both the mainstream press and in online news portals so it is rather incredible that PRS Youth should issue this silly challenge. 

Baru Bian (2nd from left) with other Sarawak PKR leaders at a press conference

To make it easy for PRS Youth, I refer them to YB Baru’s statements as follows:-

1)            “Sarawak under no obligation to follow PM on Hudud Law” dated 30 April 2014,

2)            “Sarawak agreed to the formation of a Secular Malaysia,” dated 18 June 2014,

3)            “PKR Calls For A United Non-Partisan Sarawakian Front To Safeguard The Constitution And Our Secular State” dated 25 March 2015

All these statements were published in the local papers and shared widely on social media. They should also make an effort to do some research on the proceedings of the most recent DUN sitting where YB Baru submitted a private member’s motion that there should be no implementation of hudud in Sarawak. 

However YB Baru’s private member’s motion was dismissed by the Dewan Speaker. It begs the question, where were the PRS President James Masing when the Dewan Speaker dismissed YB Baru’s private motion. If PRS Youth feels that research would involve too much effort, I would be more than happy to supply them with copies of YB Baru’s statements and motion.

PKR YOUTH CHALLENGE JAMES MASING TO STATE HIS STAND ON THE ALLAH ISSUE AND NCR LAND

 

I would like to take this opportunity to also challenge James Masing and PRS on what  their party’s stand is on the ‘Allah’ issue and on the NCR of the indigenous Sarawakians. Do they know that the BN government of which they are a part, is the source of the ‘Allah/Alkitab’ controversy? 

How can they support a government that supports the restriction of their Constitutional and human rights? The so-called 10 point solution offered by the PM had failed to solve the issue and the BN government is in fact now drawing up a ‘SOP on BM Bibles’, which is unacceptable to Borneo Christians. 

Why doesn’t PRS Youth take up this issue with their main body and the BN government instead of making silly challenges to YB Baru Bian? If they are really sincere about standing up for their people, they should ask their leaders to quit the BN, as a matter of principle.

What does PRS Youth have to offer to the rural population who are fighting for their lands against the logging companies, timber companies and dam builders? What is their stand on the native customary rights of the people? 

Are they not aware that the Courts have recognized the practice of pemakai menua and pulau galau and it is the BN Government who continues to disregard the Court’s decision and continue to issue timber licences and leases over pemakai menua and pulau galau. 

As we speak, the Sarawak BN has instructed the State Attorney General to appeal the Court of Appeal’s decision in TR Sandah ak Tabau case on the recognition of pemakai menua and pulau galau  as being part of the native land ownership in Sarawak. Are they even aware of the fight that our lawyers have been engaged in over the definition of NCR?

 Do they support the government’s stand and disrespectful disregard of the court’s definition of NCR? In recent months, we even have their own party members from Baleh whose NCR land has been encroached by timber companies and approaching us to help them.

Since PRS Youth is feeling so gung ho about issuing challenges, I would invite them to just explain their stand on these two issues first. If they are unable to give us a clear answer, then they should just stop embarrassing themselves any further and apply some effort in keeping informed of developments in the political arena. They would do well to learn from the saying “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.”