It’s quite a stretch for Kuching MP Chong Chieng Jen to say that Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan Satem’s rejection of peninsula-based parties is a form of racism.

In making that statement on Monday, the Sarawak DAP chief rationalised it by saying that Adenan was encouraging regionalism, which he defined as judging people “by their origins.”

He said a party should be judged by its policies and merits instead of its place of origin. That’s a valid point, but it’s a bit much to equate Adenan’s attitude with racism. It sounds as if Chong is desperate to paint the Chief Minister in an evil light.

It’s perhaps significant that Chong forgot to mention that Adenan rejects all parties from the peninsula. It’s not as if he’s opposed only to DAP, PKR and PAS. He has also said that Umno is not needed in Sarawak.

Anyway, perhaps Adenan, like his predecessors, feel that Sarawak-based parties are the best guardians of the state’s interests, especially if Sarawak wants to avoid going down Sabah’s path.

Is there really anything wrong with that? At the end of the day, it’s just one man’s opinion.

Nevertheless, peninsula-based opposition parties are free to contest in the coming state elections, and looking at past election results, there is little to suggest that people are perturbed by the politics of regionalism.

Sarawakians should not be seen as a weak-minded people who would reject anything Adenan rejects. They are capable of making up their own minds.

Chong is right to say that people should judge a party by its policies and merits, and surely the Opposition would not deny that it won 15 seats in the last state election because of its policies and merits.

Soon, when Sarawakians go to the polls, they will again judge the contending parties by their policies and merits.