Sarawak Assembly DAP assemblyperson for Pending Violet Yong has warned that a racially unbalanced Malaysian Civil Service is not only unhealthy for a multi-racial Malaysia, but also undermines its unity as well as tarnishes its the good name.

 

“Unfair intake and unfair promotion in the civil service is common knowledge and not much is being done to change the situation,” Yong said during the debate on the governor’s address last night, adding that these are some of the reasons why so many are not keen to join the civil service.

 

“The most powerful man in the world, US President Barack Obama, hit the nail on the head when he said during a meeting with ASEAN Youth in Kuala Lumpur that ‘Malaysia wouldn’t succeed if the non-Muslims do not have the same opportunity and that the non-Muslims in Malaysia are currently facing hostility and some have felt oppressed’.

 

“Even within a few days in Malaysia Obama ( right ) could pick up something that has gone very wrong in Malaysia.

 

“Thus this is the time for the government to correct what is wrong to right and to restructure the civil service to ensure a more balanced racial participation.

"This would ensure unity and understanding among the people,” she said.

 

Yong added: “When you walk into a government department, be it a federal or state, it is sparkling clear that there is a vast imbalance of the positions of those working behind the counters.

 

“Even our own Dayak bumiputera have been left out in the civil service,” she said.

She then called on the newly appointed Chief Minister Adenan to ensure that there is a balanced racial composition of staff working in the state departments like land and survey department, state welfare department, district offices, district council offices, Yayasan Sarawak and others.

 

“Sarawak is a multi-racial state and it is good and healthy to have the mixture of all races in the civil service.

"A balanced racial composition in the civil service  would actually help to explain the policy of the government well in many languages or dialects. Our society should be inclusive and not exclusive,” she said.

 

Sarawak should reject GST

 

Meanwhile her colleague David Wong (DAP-Pelawan) told the Assembly that Sarawak should have the right to reject the implementation of GST in view of the fact that the state was lagging far behind in various fields.

 

“One of our rights is to retain control of our own finance, development and tariffs and also to work out our own taxation.

 

“Article 95B(3) of the federal constitution states that “The legislature of the State of Sabah or Sarawak may also make  laws for imposing  sales tax, and any sales tax imposed by the state law in the state of Sabah and Sarawak  shall be deemed to be among the matters enumerated in the State List."

Wong said that if the newly appointed Chief Minister Adenan Satem ( left ) could make his stand by announcing that Sarawak would not allow GST to burden its people, then that would be his legacy and Sarawakians would be eternally grateful.

 

“Time is running out as GST will be implemented in April 2015, and once it is implemented, then it will be too late.

 

“Sarawak is one of the poorest states in Malaysia with one of the highest numbers of people in poverty and hardcore poverty.

 

“We have contributed immensely to the federal government with our oil and gas but our infrastructure is some 20 to 30 years behind our counterparts in the peninsula.

 

“We need to stand firm to protect our people and the best way the state government can do is to exercise our rights as enshrined in the federal constitution,” he said, pointing out that Sarawak owed it to her people  to give back their rights and not give in to the federal government.

 

Starting on Monday, the state ministers will reply to the points raised by the Opposition and the government backbenchers.