LETTER | The last five months have been unsettling and perhaps even frustrating for a lot of us.

While we have seen monumental changes in our political landscape, especially in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah, I am intrigued at how Sarawak seems to have forgotten all about the political shenanigans that were brought upon us by the previous BN administration and its proxies in Sarawak BN.

The newly established Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and its component parties Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Sarawak United Peoples' Party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) still operate as an extension of the BN mindset, but now using geographical differences and “lack of understanding” of Sarawak to stay in power.

Ironically, these are the same parties who were part of the peninsula-based BN, now claiming to reject the peninsula-based ruling coalition.

While the rest of Malaysia (save for two diehard PAS states) have voted for a 'Malaysia Baru', Sarawakians are still keen to embrace who they see as their own kind.

This is the same thinking that got us accepting that it was okay for political leaders and their cronies to appropriate our indigenous and personal lands, our natural resources – timber and palm oil – and our culture and dignity.

It was okay because after all PBB, SUPP and the rest were one of us.

The only reason we reject Pakatan Harapan is because they are a peninsula-based party. Not because they are a coalition focused on building a better Malaysia. Not because they are unearthing all the corruption and dirty deeds by the previous BN government in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.

We reject Harapan simply because we have been told by our self-serving BN-tainted politicians they are not Sarawakian and they do not understand us Sarawakians.

Allow me to tell you something my dear Sarawakians. In only five months or 150 days. We now can talk openly and rally towards reinstating our rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

We can now demand increasing oil royalty to 20 percent. We can even openly discuss secession.

It is about time we stopped playing the race, religion and state difference card.

GPS, especially STAR and SUPP, are walking a dangerous line and seem willing to drag all of us down, just for their own interest.

The new federal government wants to hear us and wants things to change, together with us. I am not naïve to accept that we will get all that we want, but it’s a new and better beginning

I am Sarawakian, I am Malaysian. Let us not abandon this golden moment to do that.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.