Weak Putrajaya Versus Stable Strong Sarawak

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Politically, in terms of stability and strength of the governing parties, Putrajaya and Sarawak are now poles apart.
At the federal level, we already had seen four prime ministers in four years with a fifth expected in the months ahead. Each of the four premiers was insecure in their positions and hence, their respective administrations were weak and unstable.
For us Sarawakians, we had just installed our first premier (prime minister too, in essence) after a constitutional amendment, and we expect him to run our homeland (Sarawak is no longer a state but one of three territories in Malaysia) with a free hand and the backing of the majority of Sarawakians.
Our premier, Abang Johari Openg, is in charge of a strong and stable administration. His Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government is in the best position today to accelerate Sarawak’s development processes overall and this should greatly benefit the people in the months and years ahead.
In general, Sarawakians are happy and satisfied with the GPS government. There is also less politicking from within the four GPS coalition partners. There were no major political upheavals from within GPS over the past six years.
After the 2016 Sarawak election, everything was calm and all those elected and appointed to public positions happily settled down at work.
Is Malaysia lost?
Unfortunately, the same could not be said at the federal level. At times, the cynics have asked who is running Malaysia and they have reasons to. The nation seems to be on autopilot, rudderless, aimless and heading nowhere. Is Malaysia lost?
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri YaakobPrime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, in office for the past nine months, is dependent on too many ‘bosses’ to keep his job. In that sense, Ismail Sabri is not fully in charge. He does not get a free hand to execute his authority as prime minister.
In Kuching, Abang Johari (fondly known as Abang Jo) is riding high. His hard work since becoming chief minister in January 2017 has paid off. With more than three decades’ experience in the Sarawak cabinet, Abang Jo fits easily in his new role as the captain.
Fresh from a landslide electoral victory, an indication of widespread support for his leadership and armed with the elevated “premier” title, Abang Jo has cemented his right to rule which is stamped with the approval and support of the people.
The ongoing Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB) convention (June 17-19) has given another show of approval for Abang Jo’s leadership.
The PBB’s 15th convention is not expected to spring any surprises as there are no contests for the party’s top posts.
Abang Jo will return as PBB president together with all the senior party leaders in this convention, aptly themed ‘Guaranteeing the stability, prosperity and glory of Sarawak’. A total of 2,420 delegates are attending the event at the Borneo Convention Centre in Kuching.
The triennial PBB convention was supposed to be held in April 2020 but was postponed due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Sarawak premier Abang Johari OpengAs a Sarawakian, I hope that such happy times and stability last so that our homeland can prosper and the people can enjoy a better standard of living. The first duty and responsibility of a government are to prosper its country and people, lest anyone forgets.
I have always said this. Sarawak has more than enough to feed 2.9 million Sarawakians. No one in Sarawak should be poor and neither should anyone go hungry. We have seen the miseries and suffering of many in our midst during the pandemic. We should be better prepared next time.
Let me make an earnest appeal to my premier, Abang Jo. Top on my list is the need for our premier to minimise corruption at all levels of the civil service. He must keep a close watch on his ministers and political aides’ dealings with opportunists in the private sector.
When corruption is allowed to spread, greed within the corridors of power will rear its ugly head, followed by envy and jealousy. Eventually, there will be internal strife and ugly power struggles among party leaders and within the GPS coalition.
How often have we heard of intense political rivalry that started from business rivalry and how it has destroyed parties, and political leaders and even brought down governments?
We, in Sarawak, must also take lessons from the ongoing corruption trials of former national leaders. We doubt those rich buggers, moving in and out of court every other day are happy fellas even with their spare millions, if not billions, in their bank accounts overseas.
They are stressed out and as we know only too well, stress brings along all kinds of health issues, especially for those in their senior years.
I have a feeling that these rich and powerful blokes now on trial are just as miserable as the hungry and homeless on the streets during the pandemic. The difference is only the roof over their heads.
A life we don’t need
So, my dear fellow Sarawakians, there is no need to be greedy. Again, let me repeat. There is enough for each and every single Sarawakian.
People who steal from the public coffers will usually be miserable in the end. We have seen examples, even among the known corrupt public officials in Sarawak. They are usually unhappy people with their families, broken although filthy rich. That’s a life we don’t need.
I am aware there are greedy politicians too in GPS. You know who you are and your colleagues, either in the cabinet or allies in the coalition, are also aware. We will notice if you live beyond your means and the money you could afford to throw during an election must be dirty money.
I am not making assumptions here. I have heard and seen enough of such filthy politics. I have also received reliable info.
This is the best time for Premier Abang Jo and the GPS government to make good and do their best for our beloved Land of the Hornbill and our 2.9 million fellow Sarawakians.
Putrajaya can continue to burn for all I care, really. It’s the rampant greed for power, position and wealth among Malayan politicians that is slowly but surely destroying all that is good about this country.
Even the Sultan of Johor is fed up and has warned Putrajaya that Johor exiting Malaysia is also a possibility.
I am a Sarawak patriot and I’m proud to declare again that “I’m Sarawakian first, Malaysian second”.
And I don’t bloody care if anyone in Malaya has a problem with that! - Mkini
FRANCIS PAUL SIAH is a veteran Sarawak editor and heads the Movement for Change, Sarawak (MoCS). He can be reached at [email protected].
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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