Parti Rakyat Sarawak president James Masing has rubbished claims by US researcher Bridget Welsh that vote buying was rampant in East Malaysia.

"Ms Welsh's allegation that (elected representatives) in Sarawak want people to remain poor so that they can be controlled is rubbish.

NONE "She must have a very low opinion of Third World politicians to arrive at that conclusion," said Masing ( right ) when contacted.

At a seminar on the 13th general election organised by Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) yesterday, Welsh shared her observation that the ruling party in East Malaysian states do not make fundamental change to the living standards for the majority of people there.

Welsh said resources were focussed on winning votes in the short-term instead of long-term development and problems related to campaign financing should be addressed.

Masing: I'm doing my best

Another speaker at the event, James Chin, warned that election campaign funding by businesses was on the uptrend and this would be detrimental to the public.

Welsh is an associate professor in political science at Singapore Management University while James Chin is the Monash University (Malaysia) arts and social science school head.

Masing claimed that Welsh was ignorant of what really goes on in East Malaysia and stressed that he had been doing his best to develop his constituency of Baleh and the Kapit division.

He said the Kapit division is the only region in the country that is not connected by road even after 50 years since the formation of Malaysia.

“All leaders want the best for the people they represent. I for one want the best for my constituents,” he said.