DAP has fired yet another salvo at PKR over the shadow cabinet issue, this time hitting at the party deputy president Azmin Ali.

                

NONE “DAP Sarawak is dismayed by the insinuations made by the PKR central leadership in Kuala Lumpur especially deputy president Azmin Ali ( right ) that the Sarawak shadow cabinet line-up is ‘dominated by one race’ and lacking diversity.

 

“The statement is baseless and irresponsible,” said state DAP chairman Wong Ho Leng.

 

“By such a statement, the PKR central leadership is indirectly implying that the DAP is only a party for one particular community, which is far from the truth,” he added.

The controversy over the state shadow cabinet was sparked off when Wong - as opposition leader for the state assembly - announced that Pakatan Rakyat Sarawak has formed a shadow cabinet for the current term.

NONE However, PKR under its state chief and newly-elected Ba’Kelalan assemblyperson Baru Bian ( left ) said that there was no consultation with the party over the shadow cabinet before Wong announced the lineup, sparking a battle of words that began early this month.

Azmin was reported to have called for more Dayak representation in the shadow cabinet.

To that, Wong explained that the shadow cabinet should first and foremost comprise elected state assemblypersons.

“In other words, the composition of the shadow cabinet is based on the available elected assembly members. It has nothing to do with race,” he said.

‘PKR HQ at fault’

Wong also said that DAP has no objections to any ethnicities being reflected in the shadow cabinet.

 

NONE “DAP has no objections if in the Pakatan Sarawak shadow cabinet, there are more members that reflect the diversity of the parties in Pakatan Rakyat Sarawak.

 

“We would sincerely love to have more PKR representation in the shadow cabinet in the state assembly but why should DAP be blamed when not enough PKR assemblypersons are elected?” he asked.

Blaming the entire episode on the national PKR leadership whom he labelled as “recalcitrant” and “intervened unnecessarily”, Wong said that DAP was “greatly disappointed” as the result of it.

“This is another aspect of East Malaysian politics that the PKR has time and again failed to understand. Decisions about Sarawak should be decided by leaders in Sarawak. As far as the DAP is concerned, all decisions within the state are under the purview of DAP Sarawak.

 

“However, it is apparent that PKR Sarawak is under orders from a group of disenfranchised people sitting in Kuala Lumpur. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why PKR did not fare too well in the last election,” said Wong.

In the recent Sarawak elections, DAP won 12 seats while PKR won three. All of the 12 DAP representatives happen to be Chinese.