KUCHING – Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim assured the Bornean states that if PH comes to power, the coalition will offer due recognition to both Sarawak and Sabah.
Speaking during a PH-hosted event here today themed “Tawaran Harapan”, he said the coalition would offer real and just solutions concerning issues between the Bornean states and Peninsular Malaysia.
He said: “PH is of the opinion that both Sabah and Sarawak along with Peninsular Malaysia must come together as one solid and formidable team.
“What we offer is contrary to the manifestos of both the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalitions. It is a just solution for all long-standing issues between Peninsular Malaysia and the Bornean states.
“We will offer due recognition and give importance to the presence of Sabah and Sarawak as part of the federation.”
The PKR president also touched on the devolution of power.
“Ours is a federal system, and one that warrants a policy of due respect and recognition to state authorities. This is what we mean by participatory democracy.
“This is not a complex situation because this is what the spirit of the constitution is all about. In the last 60 years or so, unfortunately, both the PN and BN governments have failed in their mission to give due recognition to all states, particularly Sabah and Sarawak.
“So far, we have failed in this … devolution of power on matters pertaining to education, healthcare, and basic infrastructure. There are peculiar circumstances in education, healthcare, and rural infrastructure here that warrants us to recognise the role of individual states,” he added.
On another note, while speaking to the media, he said PH is considering the possibility of working with other coalitions if it fails to form a majority government after the general election.
“We will wait until late on polling day on November 19 to decide which party or coalitions to work with. But for now, we want to work hard and win the election first.
“Whether it is GPS, or PAS in Kelantan, or PH in Negri Sembilan and Penang, if we become the federal government, we will continue to work closely with the state governments. That’s our principle,” he added.
Meanwhile, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke, who was also present, pointed out that the coalition is gaining strong momentum from the ground in the peninsula, saying that PH is now ahead of BN and PN.
“The momentum in the peninsula is now increasing and this can be seen from Anwar’s series of ceramah, especially in the Malay-majority areas.
“In the last two days in Kelantan, the response from the ground was extraordinary. Today in Pahang and throughout the peninsula, we could feel the momentum is increasing,” he added. – The Vibes, November 12, 2022
