Zaid, MCLM offer SNAP support

Joseph Tawie

More and more groups are lauding Sarawak National Party's (SNAP) return to active politics.

KUCHING: Two Peninsular-based organisations, Parti Kita and Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) are helping Sarawak National Party (SNAP) to rejuvenate itself into a party that can help bring about a change to the state Barisan Nasional (BN) government.

Said Parti Kita leader Zaid Ibrahim: “The linkage with SNAP and other like minded-organisations may one day lead to the formation of “Barisan Kita”.

“SNAP is a party that has lots of history struggling for the rights of the people.

“Our country needs this sort of political party that has the welfare of the people at heart and a party wanting to give the power back to the people. SNAP is a genuine reformist.”

Expressing his delight at SNAP’s revival, he said in the coming election, Kita would help SNAP in its campaign and talk about issues that affect the people.

“We can do whatever we can to help SNAP. They are our true friends,” said Zaid, who attended a SNAP unity dinner last night where he was the special guest speaker.

During a SNAP symposium earlier in the day, MCLM head Harris Ibrahim said the movement was prepared to help train SNAP’s election and campaign workers.

“We are offering our service to help SNAP in the election.

“We can even help scrutinize the background of its candidates, their life styles, financial background, their attitudes and aptitudes,” Harris said.

Real change

He did not want to see SNAP suffer a similar fate as PKR when one after another of its elected representatives left the party to become independent and BN-friendly.

“This is because PKR did not vet its candidates properly,” he added.

Meanwhile, Zaid told the diners that there are people who either talked about change or changing the prime minister.

“We are not interested in that; we are talking about the real change – the policies that need to be reformed.
“We want to talk about more say in the state; how many Sarawakians are working in the civil service; how to run the state government, and how to manage the revenue from the state.

“These are things that we need to look at and not just change in the general term. We have to be specific about change,” Zaid said.

He pointed out that what Malaysia was grappling with now is that its leaders were still obsessed with petty issues of 1950s and 1960s such as language, religion and control of the civil service.

Addresing real problems

He said that those issues were good when Malaya was struggling for independence and trying to form a nation.

“But now this country needs 21st century vision to solve 21st century problems.

“And if you talk about these issues, then you forget how the country is being raped, the riches of the country have been plundered and billions of dollars have taken out from this country.

“The real problems affecting the country are not being addressed both by the government and the opposition,” he added.

On the question of whether Parti Kita is a spoiler, Zaid said: “You must not say we are spoilers. If you are interested in good politics and good opposition, then you don’t say we are trouble makers.

“You have not listened to us and yet you say we cause trouble.”

He added that the only people who did not like him and Kita were those who want PKR advisor Anwar Ibrahim to become Prime Minister.

“They are the ones who do not like what we are doing.

“What make you think that Kita and SNAP will split the opposition?

“We will be the opposition and make better and a very strong opposition,” Zaid said.