‘Kawan’ or ‘lawan’ in politics; Sarawakians must put S’wak first

KUCHING: The people of Sarawak have again been reminded to safeguard the region’s interests.
 
Deputy Premier Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian said looking at the current political climate, it is difficult to identify one’s ‘lawan’ (enemies) or one’s ‘kawan’ (comrades).
 
“Now in Kuala Lumpur, we don’t know who is ‘kawan’ or ‘lawan’. So confusing. If people like me get confused, what about the ordinary people on the ground?
 
“Today, they (politicians) fight, the next day they become friends, and the next thing they know, they fight again.
 
“Therefore, every Sarawak must heed the late Pehin Sri Adenan Satem’s wisdom of ‘jaga Sarawak baik-baik’ (look after Sarawak well),” he said.
 
He said this during the flag-raising ceremony in conjunction with the 64th anniversary of the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) at the party headquarters here today (June 4).
 
Dr Sim, who is also the SUPP president, said Sarawak is now led by Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), which continues to bring development and increase its revenue.
 
“Thus, SUPP, as a component of GPS, will continue to remain relevant and reliable to its services and beyond, fighting for Sarawak’s interest.
 
“We will continue to be in mainstream politics and uphold the ‘Sarawak First’ slogan,” he said.
 
On a related note, he said there have been some quarters making accusations against SUPP, despite the party being in power for over 50 years.
 
“But the challenges and issues faced today were different compared to back then. In the past, we had to focus on preserving racial harmony.
 
“Now and in the next few years, it will be beyond focusing on development, and this is where we focus on prosperity and talent development,” he said.
 
He then said the party could now focus on doing much more for the people as it is united and strong.
 
“And to the cynics, we will never do enough, so I challenge them as they are also in position, but they do not do many things and ‘tengok saja’ (look) and talk.
 
“Thus, we want to tell Sarawakians not to pay attention to those who sow hatred, mislead, always lie and belittle others, and do small things and amplify them as if they are saving the whole world.
 
“We do not need those people for Sarawak to move forward because those people ‘bù néng zuò dà shì’ (cannot do big things) and do not see the bigger picture,” said Dr Sim.