KUCHING, Sept 3 2026: Afiq Fikri Brahim, a political secretary to the Premier of Sarawak, tonight schooled Sarawak DAP Youth Socialist (DAPSY) Stampin chief Lim Kai Bin on international relations and diplomacy.
He said Lim’s recent statement urging the state government to bypass established diplomatic protocols and directly interfere in foreign relations with Indonesia regarding the transboundary haze clearly exposes DAPSY’s profound lack of understanding in international relations and diplomacy.
“The transboundary haze is an international issue that falls strictly under a government-to-government (G2G) framework between the the government of Malaysia and the government of the Indonesia.
“Premier Abang Johari Openg has already personally raised this critical matter with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
“The ball is now firmly in the federal government’s court to execute necessary diplomatic channels,” Afiq said.
“For DAPSY to publicly urge the Sarawak government to step outside its constitutional mandate and interfere in international relations is, in fact, an open admission of the federal government's failure to address the issue swiftly.
“Does DAPSY have so little confidence in the federal government and the prime minister’s leadership within ASEAN?” he asked.
He added more glaringly, it highlights a failure on DAP’s part to effectively bring Sarawak's voice to the federal cabinet—a cabinet in which DAP itself is a prominent partner.
“DAPSY claims that Sarawakians do not want excuses, yet what excuse does DAP have for failing to push this issue through federal channels?” Afiq questioned.
He said DAP has both Members of Parliament and cabinet ministers sitting at the highest levels of the federal administration, alongside GPS.
He asked if DAP cannot raise and resolve critical regional issues through the federal government, what is the point of DAP being in the federal government at all.
“Addressing transboundary haze requires delicate, strategic diplomacy,” he said, stressing that pressure is already being exerted on the Indonesian government not only by foreign nations but also by its own citizens.
“If aggressive public pressuring is the tactic that DAPSY believes will work, then DAPSY and its leaders are free to pressure the Indonesian government themselves,” Afiq suggested.
He reminded Lim and DAPSY that playing political games will not clear the air, saying that transboundary haze is a complex, long-standing challenge that requires constructive international diplomacy.
He said urging the Sarawak government to step in willy-nilly is not the answer, pointing out that the Malaysian government must take the lead and ensure that Indonesia fulfills its previous commitments to prevent and mitigate haze.
