Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) supreme council member Idris Buang was quoted today as condemning the challenge of DAP to drop the BN logo and threw accusations that DAP has no empathy, nor a sense of compassion, on the plight of the people in Sarawak, especially those in rural and coastal areas.

I am appalled by his accusations as well as attempts to mislead the public from not just the failings of the national BN government but the state government as well in upholding the welfare of the people. It is because we care and have continuously championed the plight of the people in Sarawak including those in the rural and coastal areas, that’s why we are speaking out against such abuse.

Sarawak under the administration of the BN government has been lagging behind compared to our neighbours in development, as well as still being one of the poorest states in the country even though we are so rich in all kinds of natural resources.

This shows the incompetency of the ruling government and its intentions for the best interest of the people and DAP has always been speaking out against such atrocities as well as carrying out many projects such as our Impian projects to help elevate the socio-economic statues of those in the rural areas.

Idris Buang went on to try mislead the people to state that what happens with a BN party like Umno in West Malaysia has nothing to do with Sarawak BN. He stated that it is their own internal affairs which have nothing to do with Sarawak.

What he doesn’t understand is that what is happening is not just internal affairs, but has an external impact towards the whole country, including our state as well as the whole world.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who is the head of the coalition, has allegedly been caught in multiple financial scandals including the 1MDB investments, RM2.6 billion deposited into his personal accounts as well as the recent allegations by the Wall Street Journal ( WSJ ) on how more than US$1 billion was deposited into his accounts.

Many international and reputable news agencies have carried the story and this directly affects the confidence of foreign and local investors into our country, which will directly affect our state. A failing government will then have to pass policies to cover up its mess, which will burden the people.

The implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and well as the reduction of subsidies, including the recent subsidy cuts on wheat flour, have dire effects on the increase of cost of living for the people in Sarawak. This will increase the price of basic food items which will increase the cost of living for the people.

Adenan Satem, during Najib’s recent visit to Sarawak, even went to the extent of praising him and proclaiming him to be the best prime minister, stating as he has Sarawak close to his heart. However it was only recently that Adenan criticised the Budget 2016 for its poor allocations to Sarawak and that the federal government has not allocated enough to help the state catch up with the developments in West Malaysia.

Flip-flopping on his stand

So why is the CM flip-flopping on his stand when there is no clear evidence that Najib has positively contributed to the state besides his frequent visits and promises of allocations. If Najib was really sincere to the state, he would have allocated it in the national Budget itself rather than giving empty promises. We as a state had experienced many instances when promises of allocations had never been delivered.

All these promises can just be empty talk as the BN government doesn’t have the capacity to fulfil such promises on the evidence of multiple budget cuts in areas like education, health and development.

Adenan and the state BN party are either ignorant, or choose to be in denial of the impact of the incompetency of both the federal government and state BN government. That is why it is important for us to vote against them and send a strong message of disapproval to all the failings of both the federal as well as the state government.

A vote for Sarawak BN is a vote for Najib’s BN.

JULIAN TAN KOK PING is MP for Stampin, Kuching in Sarawak.