Rukeiht Jampong, Ringgit Dinggat, Baru Bian, Dato Sri Edmund Langgu, Nicholas Bawin Anggat, Allin Munji, Nicholas Mujah and Jenny Macdonald Unggin in a group photo at the end of their meeting yesterday.
KUCHING (Jan 31): Veteran politician Dato Sri Edmund Langgu today explained that he joined Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) because it is a Sarawak-based multiracial party with objectives to bring Sarawak out of the ignominy of being one of the poorest states of Malaysia.
In a statement today, Langgu claimed that Sarawak has not advanced much while being under the Barisan Nasional (BN) and now Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) rule, and assured the people that by being in PSB, he would be able to do all he can to ensure that there would be change in the upcoming state election.
“After some consideration I have decided to become a member of PSB. Although no political party is perfect, PSB attracted my attention for several reasons.
“Firstly, it is a locally based party with a manifesto that captures the sentiment of Sarawakians. The objectives of this party reflect my personal convictions about the way a government should take care of the ‘rakyat’ and protect their rights and freedom.
“I was also attracted to PSB because Ba Kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian, Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How and many other Dayak leaders such as Nicholas Bawin and Nicholas Mujah became members of the party. These leaders have never wavered from their struggles for the rights of the people and I am fully behind them. Hence, I decided to assist by joining them in PSB,” he said.
Langgu said PSB to him was the right choice as the multiracial membership reflected the demography of Sarawak with its diverse race, ethnic groups and cultures.
He believed that in order to become a truly united society, Sarawak should move away from race-based politics.
However, in order to succeed in winning the next election, PSB must cooperate with other locally based parties, he said.
Langgu said after reading the party’s constitution and Baru’s ‘Vision of Hope’ which emphasised the same objectives, it was clear to him that the priorities were good governance, combating corruption, protection of Native Customary Rights (NCR) land and the environment, provision of quality infrastructure and education, equal opportunities for all, amongst others.
“I believe that we need to seriously pursue these goals if we want to improve the lives of all Sarawakians, and lift us out of the ignominy of being one of the poorest states of Malaysia,” he said.
“I know that there are people who have cast aspersions on YB Baru and YB See by alleging that PSB are being supported by big timber ‘towkays’ to protect their interests. These are mere allegations without any proof or evidence.
“On the issue of logging, it is not correct to pin that solely on the timber companies because their licences are issued by the government of the day. These licences reflect the policies of the government,” he explained.
He said it was not wrong to be rich in timber and have a timber industry, because what was important is that licences were issued with the proper conditions that include protecting the rights of the people, adequate compensation, selective logging, protecting certain species, etcetera.
“Most importantly there must be full transparency and strict enforcement of the conditions of the licences. Corrupt practices must be punished,” Langgu said.
He pointed out that many Sarawakians, especially the Dayaks, have not advanced much since it became partners in Malaysia.
“Sarawak has been under BN/GPS rule all these years and it is clear that they have failed the people. Certain individuals have become very wealthy but the majority of the people are still struggling.
“Clearly we cannot continue to do things the same way. I will do all I can to ensure that change will come to us in the upcoming Sarawak election,” said Langgu.
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