‘Sarawak for Sarawakians’ not healthy for nation-building
DAP Subang Jaya assemblywoman Hannah Yeoh says sentiment understandable, but in context of nation-building, divides Malaysians further.
SUBANG JAYA: While the “Sarawak for Sarawakians” sentiment is understandable, it is unhealthy in the context of nation-building, says Hannah Yeoh of DAP.
At the sidelines of a ceramah on Sarawak, Yeoh, who is Selangor state assembly Speaker, noted that the sentiment was prevalent in the state and it would be “suicidal” for any politician to go against it.
However, she said Chief Minister Adenan Satem was perpetuating the sentiment by stirring emotions and building walls around Sarawak in the name of protecting the state.
The Subang Jaya assemblywoman said Barisan Nasional was already using race and religion in Peninsular Malaysia to divide the people, and Adenan’s use of regionalism would add another layer of division.
Yeoh said one example was Adenan’s policy of a 90:10 ratio of Sarawak teachers to Peninsular Malaysian teachers in the state by 2018.
“Why are you depriving the schools there of the best teachers? It does not matter where they come from as they are all Malaysians.
“For nation-building, we cannot afford to be more divided than now. Where do we draw the line?” she said, asking whether police and army personnel from Peninsular Malaysia would be the next to be sent back.
Yeoh, who was barred from entering Sarawak recently, also spoke of the barring of other political leaders by Adenan, explaining it was also affecting others not involved in politics as well. She cited the case of one of her former interns, a Sabahan, who had been told to leave the state by May 5.
Yeoh said her intern, had settled down in the state with her Sarawakian husband and had recently returned to Sabah with her baby to visit her family.
“Upon her return to Sarawak, she was told she would only be allowed in the state until May 5 without any explanation (given as to why this was so) and was denied an extension,” said Yeoh, adding that the intern was at her wits end as to how to resolve the issue, as her husband was based in Sarawak.
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Yeoh said while the Opposition respected Sarawak’s autonomous immigration rights, Adenan’s barring of politicians was an abuse of powers.