.jpg "Works Minister Datuk Fadillah Yusof speaks to the press at the Southern Seberang Perai Department of Works in Nibong Tebal September 28, 2021. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Sayuti Zainudin")
KUCHING, Dec 10 — Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) chief whip Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof today slammed Pakatan Harapan and DAP for playing up racial and religious sentiments when it was election time in Sarawak.
He said their propaganda this time round paints GPS as undermining the multi-cultural, multi-religion harmony of Sarawak by being in the federal government with Barisan Nasional and PAS.
“Their propaganda completely ignores the stellar track record that GPS has in maintaining race-religious harmony in Sarawak since decades ago until Sarawak is widely acknowledged to be the most harmonious and tolerant territory in Malaysia,” he said in a statement.
Fadillah, who is also works minister, said all these parties have to do is to come to Sarawak, open their eyes and see how the various ethnic groups regardless of religion enjoy this peace and harmony that is envied by the rest of Malaysia.
“PH and DAP also continue to ignore that under the 20-point agreement and the Malaysia Agreement (MA63) in which Sarawak has full autonomy over finance, religion and language use which GPS will defend until the very end.
“They have also forgotten that they were partners with PAS in the previous Sarawak election, but now they accuse us of undermining Sarawak harmony,” he added.
He questioned how GPS can be accused of collaborating with PAS to undermine Sarawak's multi-ethnic harmony when PAS is contesting against GPS in this election.
“The aim of GPS' collaboration with the federal government is to provide political stability to the country and to safeguard and guarantee Sarawak's rights and development — areas which PH and DAP had failed to do so when they were the ruling federal Government for 22 months,” he said.
Fadillah, who is also Petra Jaya MP, said Sarawakians will never forget how the PH federal government had sought to delay the development of the Pan Borneo Highway by cancelling phase two of the highway, the cancellation of three bridges, the denial of the budgeted RM1 billion funds to repair schools in Sarawak and the broken promises of 20 per cent of oil royalty to be returned to Sarawak, which forced the GPS government to impose sales tax on Petronas.
“We have not forgotten and we will never forget. Neither will Sarawakians,” he said.
He said other than development and progress, GPS' involvement in the federal government had also safeguarded the harmony and religious tolerance within Sarawak.
He said a recent example is GPS' active involvement in ensuring that the new alcohol licensing and alcohol sales restrictions would not be implemented in the state.
“We would also like to point out that the recent Timah whisky controversy was also started by DAP's partner, Parti Amanah Negara, and further instigated by a PKR MP who said in parliament that drinking Timah whisky is like 'drinking a Malay woman'.
“Where was DAP's voice then?” he asked.
Fadillah said he is confident that Sarawakians have become tired and can see through the same old instigation tactics that PH and DAP bring from the peninsula and will reject them in the upcoming poll.
He said the track record shows that the GPS government has and will continue to defend and preserve religious tolerance in Sarawak as its core unifying factor.
“The record shows that the GPS government's policy on religious tolerance has been consistent from the time of previous chief ministers.
‘GPS trusts that the people will not be influenced by the tactic of casting doubt and aspersion on the government's stance, but will continue to stand firm to protect race and religious unity in Sarawak,” he said.
Fadillah said the assistance given to all religions through the Unit for Other Religions (Unifor) was a testimony to the state government's policy, saying that Sarawak is the only state in Malaysia with this unit for other religions.
He also reminded PH and DAP the first three promises of GPS’ election manifesto are to safeguard the stability and political autonomy of Sarawak, protect Sarawak’s rights in accordance with the Federal Constitution, MA63 and the Sarawak State Constitution and the Sarawak State Laws as well as to guarantee equal rights to all Sarawakians.
