KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 — DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has asked Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) today to explain how and why co-operation with PAS and Barisan Nasional (BN) will benefit Sarawakians.

He said the need to explain is made more evident by the Opposition’s common stand in rejecting Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) effort to amend the Federal Constitution earlier this year in order to restore the status and position of East Malaysians states.

“Any party, including GPS, that co-operates with PAS and Umno in extinguishing the fundamental rights of non-Muslims and non-Malays, is betraying the Federal Constitution’s framework of protecting the rights of all Malaysians,” Lim said in his speech to the Sarawak DAP Annual Convention in Miri.

The text of his speech was made available to Malay Mail.

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Claiming that Umno and PAS, similar to its “chauvinistic” MCA and MIC counterparts, seek only to exclusively represent their respective ethnic groups, the secretary-general said this is in contrast to PH which he said aims to represent all Malaysians regardless of race, religion, demography or geography.

“Pakatan is inclusive by uniting Malaysians around the values and principles of fighting corruption, establishing rule of law and integrity, generating sustainable economic growth, offering equal opportunity, and shared prosperity.

“On the other hand, both BN and PAS are playing with the dangerous politics that truth, corruption and economic management is not as important as racism and religious extremism. Both BN and PAS further stoke the fires of discrimination, threats and hate against non-Malays and non-Muslims,” he said.

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Lim cited several examples of BN & PAS racial games, including the arguments that neither non-Malays nor non-Muslims do not deserve to hold ministerial positions in the federal Cabinet, and that vernacular schools teaching mother-tongue languages should be closed down.

Other examples include saying non-Muslims particularly Christians cannot gather for their religious prayers, the boycotting of non-Muslim owned products and businesses, and labelling non-Muslim and non-Malays who oppose them as pigs, terrorists and communists.

“Both BN and PAS have stated it is permissible to lie or not publicly declare their assets. Corruption is not important when PAS turns a blind eye to BN and Umno’s financial scandals involving the sum of RM150 billion.

“Poor economic management is also unimportant until the PAS government of Kelantan is not embarrassed that it cannot pay the salaries of its employees and have to borrow from the Federal government to do so, with the latest only this month at RM100 million,” he said.

On Pakatan’s part, Lim pointed out that the attempt to equalise the status of Sabah and Sarawak to be on par with the Peninsular is a demonstration of its sincerity and seriousness in fulfilling the ruling government’s promises.

“DAP urges Sarawkians to support Pakatan to allow us to deliver on our promises progressively, promises that is historic because it was never supported or done by BN when it was in power,” he said.