KUCHING, May 7 — Sarawak Minister of Local Government and Community Development Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh appealed today to the Chinese community support the Barisan Nasional ahead of the upcoming state polls, saying it made no sense to continue being “confrontational.”
“It makes no sense for them to continue to be confrontational and be supportive of the Opposition and this trend is politically unhealthy for the community since we have a very inclusive Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem helming the state,” Wong said today.
Speaking to reporters after witnessing the signing of Letter of Intent between Kuching North City Hall and Dai Li Prefecture, Yunnan Province of China, Wong said that out of 55 State Barisan Nasional lawmakers, the Barisan only has two Chinese lawmakers while the Opposition has 12 Chinese lawmakers.
Wong, who is also the Bawang Assan state lawmaker and United People’s Party (UPP) president, stressed that it is to the Chinese community’s disadvantage if they continue to support the Opposition when the majority of the natives are with the Barisan government.
“I have no political formula or solution on how to unite the Opposition-minded Chinese community...I can only appeal for them to come to their senses,” he said.
“Given our existing political framework, the community can no longer remain fragmented.
“I know it is not easy to bring a united front, and no one can give ready answers to this as there are so many constraints and many other factors, but it is important for the community to recognise that it would be more effective to be in the BN government,” the state minister added.
Wong said the community needs to do some fundamental re-thinking and the courage to change for the better and their political and economic well-being.
“We must have the farsightedness to rally behind the BN government to support, to assist and in the process, benefit from the economic and socio-political opportunities that will be available to everyone,” he said.
