MP: Govt should not hold longhouse chiefs to ransom

Dr Kelvin Yii

KUCHING (Jan 27): The salary of longhouse chief or tuai rumah should not be used as ransom to control them as their pay is derived from taxpayers’ funds, not money from any political party, said Bandar Kuching Dr Kelvin Yii.

In a statement yesterday, he said equal allocation should be given to everyone regardless of their political affiliation as funds and resources “belong to the people and for the people”.

“The people should not be punished for their choice of vote. Such culture of ‘political vindictiveness’ must be changed if we want our country to develop and be a proper beacon of democracy.

“In the long term, if there is continued unequal allocation, more and more people will be left behind and more importantly, the government of the day cannot be kept accountable especially if they are a bad government,” he said.

Dr Yii was responding to the recent statement by Education, Innovation and Talent Development Assistant Minister II Francis Harden that it was “absurd” that community leaders and longhouse chief receive salary if they support the opposition.

According to Dr Yii, such remark is not only against the spirit of democracy, but an insult towards the important role of the tuai rumah who represents the interest and welfare of their people and should not be beholden to any government or even political party.

“Sadly, such toxic and oppressive political culture has been plaguing Sarawak all these years where the state government uses their position to instill fear and control over the people especially in the rural areas even when they have been left behind all these years even in most basic of infrastructure,” he said.

Dr Yii pointed out that it is everyone’s democratic right of the people to keep the government in check, including disagreeing or not supporting the decisions made by the government of the day, especially if it is bad or not beneficial for their people.

“That is why I call upon the people to reject such ‘old politics’ and demand for reforms including equal allocations and more importantly a proper election among the villagers for their tuai rumah and community leaders.

“When community leaders are politically appointed, politicians think they own them and this must change,” he said.

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