A Bidayuh businessman who applied for a loan for his 100 percent native-owned company to set up a manufacturing plant got a rude shock when he was told by a federal agency officer he did not qualify for consideration because he was not a bumiputera.

According to opposition State Reform Party (Star) president Dr Patau Rubis, it was clearly stated in the businessman's birth certificate and identity card that he is a Bidayuh, but the officer told him he is not a bumiputera.

The applicant, Sean Paul Rubis, is Patau's 24-year-old son who has been planning to set up a RM5 million factory to manufacture activated carbon as oil palm bi-products which have enormous potentials for the export market.

"He had worked for months on the project paper to support the loan application only to be told later it could not be considered simply because he is not a bumiputera inspite of being a Bidayuh," Patau told a press conference at Star headquarters yesterday in Kuching yesterday.

"I feel very bad. We feel very bad," a disappointed Patau said, adding that they intended to pursue the matter further by writing to the authorities.

"I have asked my son to follow up with the relevant agency in order to confirm (what the officer had told him) and to take steps to remedy the situation," he said.

Another case

Patau, a former state assistant minister, said he also knew of a case involving a Malaysian bank (which he named) which had approved a business loan to an Iban businessman a few years ago but could only release the loan subject to a Malay name being included in the application.

The opposition politician asked why members of the non-Muslim ethnic groups in Sarawak should be discriminated this way when the federal government clearly recognises them also as bumiputeras.

Patau said he was not blaming it on policy but on what he called oversights on the part of implementators either because there was a lack of policy directive or the directive was not carried out or the policy was not included in the charter of federal agencies enthrusted to assist all bumiputeras in the country.

He reminded the federal authorities that without the consent of the ethnic groups in Sarawak, there would have been no Malaysia today.

The opposition Star president queried government leaders to explain truthfully where the nation's wealth from oil and gas has gone to.

"Why can't we cushion any increase in world crude oil? What have we done with the extra profit? Where has it gone?"

He said the 30 sen increase in fuel prices has adversely affected many people in both urban and rural areas in Sarawak, an ol producing state. In the rural areas, it affected many villages that depend on generators for their electricity.

Amend ways we do things

He said politicians across the political divides should adopt a new mental shift on how they should conduct themselves and find a new common ground to work together 'so that economically we can be at par at least with Singapore.'

The ringgit buying power should be at par with the Singapore dollar and not at RM2.35 to one Singapore dollar, he added.

The Star president also said that to achieve a better and progressive Sarawak, we must be ready to amend the way we do things.

"The present political system has achieved our present level of development. but at a very heavy price. In trustworthiness, politicians are the lowest among the professions surveyed by a non-governmental organisation recently."

'We are seen as untrustworthy. We have to achieve the slogan 'Bersih, Cekap dan Amanah'. We have lost. Yet only the slogan can bring us at least to be at par with Singapore economically," Patau said.