KUCHING: Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Women chief Kho Teck Wan is greatly disappointed at the statement made by the Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, Hannah Yeoh over the weekend.
Yeoh had urged Sarawakians to do away with Sarawak for Sarawakians; and suggested that Sarawak with seven times more reserve in the bank than Selangor,shouldn’t depend entirely on Federal Government to develop education, especially the early childhood education.
“Her first statement on Sarawak for Sarawakians sentiment showed her lack of understanding toward Sarawak’s history and politics. If YB Hannah is sincerely worried about the Sarawak for Sarawakians’ sentiment on further discriminating Malaysians regionally, then perhaps YB should take time to find out the source of such sentiment,” said Kho.
Kho agrees with Yeoh’s intention to fight discrimination, and Kho suggested that Yeoh to look into the discrimination of Malaysia history in primary school text book, the
discrimination of equal status as one of the three partners in the Federation of Malaysia, and the discrimination of equal development as the largest producer of natural oil and gas in this country.
“Sarawak for Sarawakians is an awareness movement, where Sarawakians learn and fight for Sarawak’s rights enshrined in the Malaysia Agreement 1963. There is nothing wrong in fighting for what was ours.
Let’s start building as a nation by honouring the Malaysia Agreement 1963. After all, there is no Malaysia without the agreement, and there is no Malaysia without Sarawak,” said Kho.
Regarding Yeoh suggestion that Sarawak with seven times more reserve in the bank than Selangor shouldn’t depend entirely on Federal Government to develop education, Kho would like to remind the minister that Education is under the responsibility of the federal government. Sarawakians paid federal taxes just like any other states in Malaysia and expect the federal government to perform its responsibility.
“Sarawak shouldn’t be punished because the government has better financial planning than Selangor. Sarawak government even proposed RM1 billion loan to Federal Government this year to upgrade the dilapidated schools in Sarawak. If federal government is unable to manage the education, please expedite the return of education autonomy to Sarawak as promised under the Pakatan Harapan Sarawak’s election manifesto,” she suggested.
