KUCHING - Chief Minister Taib Mahmud has reitereated the need for the incoming Adenan Satem administration to uphold the policy where all race are treated equally.
He said this fundamental policy and thinking must be preservered to ensure genuine and better understanding among people.
Alluding to the goings on in Peninsular Malaysia, he said the majority or dominant race policy would not work.
“I think we have learned to be more open and to cooperate. Nobody here desires to be dominant or to dominate other people in whatever we plan for the future.
“Our policy is such that we can develop the state properly without the feeling of insecurity arising between groups.
“You can expect the next chief minister (Adenan) and his cabinet to treasure every opportunity to create close interaction between all the races,” Taib said during the “Satu Malaysia Satu Hua Zhong” Chinese New Year event organised by the Federation of Miri Division Chinese Associations recently.
Race relations in Peninsular Malaysia is currently at its worst following the Allah issue and fears are rife that the post Taib era will see the entry of Umno Malay-styled politics and policies.
Although Umno’s top echelon have denied any aspiration to enter Sarawak, people here remain skeptical.
Unhappy Umno?
Meanwhile Taib, who steps down as the state’s fourth chief minister on Feb 28, has hinted that he will be Sarawak’s next governor.
The reported hint came after a rumoured meeting with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak on Friday following widespread speculation that Umno-led Putrajaya will not recommend Taib for the governor post because of the immense global pressure and alleged reports of corruption against the CM.
Party insiders told FMT last night that certain Umno leaders were ‘angry’ and speculated that Taib’s trump card in discussions with Najib would have been “seceding, money and Rosmah’s interest”.
The Umno leadership has been grossly unhappy with the goings-on in Sarawak and Taib’s refusal to clamp free-wheeling discussions, at all levels, on Malaysia Agreement and calls to secede.
On July 22 last year Taib spurned federal view and gave calls to secede a back-handed support when he officiated, for the first time, Sarawak Independence Day celebrations and stamped the state’s 50-year-old history.
On July 22, 1963 Sarawak swore in its first Chief Minister Stephan Kalong Ningkan, raised its own flag and stamped its constitution.
That same year on Sept 16, Sarawak together with Sabah and Singapore signed the Malaysia Agreement with the Federation of Malaysia.
The agreement details Borneo’s freedom of religion, constitution and speech among others.
In October last year, amidst a raging Allah controversy, Taib affirmed that the “status quo” of the terms of the Malaysia Agreement remained insinuating that Sarawak will not kow-tow to any peninsular policies on race and religion.
He was speaking at the PBB party general assembly which was attended by Najib.
FMT
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