Joseph Tawie
Thursday, 22 October 2009 10:50
KUCHING - A prominent native customary rights (NCR) land lawyer, Baru Bian, has been named to head the Sarawak PKR, it is reliably learnt.
The official announcement from PKR on the appointment will be made on Sunday after a supreme council meeting of the party. Baru is also a council member.
Baru’s appointment is expected to close the chapter on the disillusionment expressed by certain quarters within Sarawak PKR that the party in the state was controlled by ‘outsiders’.
The party also hopes to prop up its image in Sarawak with the appointment of a local guy to take charge.
Baru will replace Mustaffa Kamil Ayub who was appointed as interim chief of the State PKR in May this year.
'Show East Malaysians more respect'
“With Baru’s appointment, we hope more professionals and the hardcore members of the deregistered Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) who have remained partyless will join the party,” a PKR leader who requested anonymity told Malaysian Mirror here this morning.
“It was a wrong move in the first place to put a West Malaysian in charge of Sarawak PKR. It’s as if there is no one capable in Sarawak to lead the party in the state. Those in Kuala Lumpur must learn to give us face.
“Anwar Ibrahim and his people in KL must show us more respect, otherwise they are like Umno leaders treating Sarawak and Sabah like ‘stepchildren’. We have enough of such treatment,” he added.
“The problems within Sabah PKR and Azmin Ali are not surprising. Azmin is not the right guy to be Sabah PKR chairman – he does not know Sabah at all. Again Anwar made a mistake there and it’s good to know that he’s now righting the wrong,” the Sarawak PKR leader said.
Hardworking, forthright guy
He welcomed Baru’s appointment as the new Sarawak PKR chairman, saying that the lawyer was a very hard working and forthright person.
“Maybe he is not experienced enough to lead such a big party in the state. But Baru will do the right thing as he has always been consistent in his political struggle. Others must support him,” he added.
For many years, Baru has been associated with NCR land owners suing Pelita and the State Government for various reasons.
Coming from a rural background, he not only knows the problems affecting the rural people but is also aware that the battle ground for the next state election will be on the 29 Dayak constituencies.
A veteran journalist here described Baru as a very approachable, honest and religious person, highly regarded in the rural areas.
“He can be a unifying force in PKR which comprises diverse ethnic groups,” he added.
Baru was an influential member of the supreme council of the defunct PBDS. After PBDS was deregistered in October 2004, he supported the formation of Malaysian Dayak Congress (MDC), but MDC failed to get registered.
Baru then suggested that all proponents and ex-PBDS members should join PKR, a multi-racial party as he saw the formation of Pakatan Rakyat (PR) by PKR, DAP and PAS after last year’s general election as opening the way for a two-party system in the country.
“This is good for the Dayak community and we must support it,” he told his former colleagues.
Thursday, 22 October 2009 10:50
KUCHING - A prominent native customary rights (NCR) land lawyer, Baru Bian, has been named to head the Sarawak PKR, it is reliably learnt.
The official announcement from PKR on the appointment will be made on Sunday after a supreme council meeting of the party. Baru is also a council member.
Baru’s appointment is expected to close the chapter on the disillusionment expressed by certain quarters within Sarawak PKR that the party in the state was controlled by ‘outsiders’.
The party also hopes to prop up its image in Sarawak with the appointment of a local guy to take charge.
Baru will replace Mustaffa Kamil Ayub who was appointed as interim chief of the State PKR in May this year.
'Show East Malaysians more respect'“With Baru’s appointment, we hope more professionals and the hardcore members of the deregistered Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) who have remained partyless will join the party,” a PKR leader who requested anonymity told Malaysian Mirror here this morning.
“It was a wrong move in the first place to put a West Malaysian in charge of Sarawak PKR. It’s as if there is no one capable in Sarawak to lead the party in the state. Those in Kuala Lumpur must learn to give us face.
“Anwar Ibrahim and his people in KL must show us more respect, otherwise they are like Umno leaders treating Sarawak and Sabah like ‘stepchildren’. We have enough of such treatment,” he added.
“The problems within Sabah PKR and Azmin Ali are not surprising. Azmin is not the right guy to be Sabah PKR chairman – he does not know Sabah at all. Again Anwar made a mistake there and it’s good to know that he’s now righting the wrong,” the Sarawak PKR leader said.Hardworking, forthright guy
He welcomed Baru’s appointment as the new Sarawak PKR chairman, saying that the lawyer was a very hard working and forthright person.
“Maybe he is not experienced enough to lead such a big party in the state. But Baru will do the right thing as he has always been consistent in his political struggle. Others must support him,” he added.
For many years, Baru has been associated with NCR land owners suing Pelita and the State Government for various reasons.
Coming from a rural background, he not only knows the problems affecting the rural people but is also aware that the battle ground for the next state election will be on the 29 Dayak constituencies.
A veteran journalist here described Baru as a very approachable, honest and religious person, highly regarded in the rural areas.
“He can be a unifying force in PKR which comprises diverse ethnic groups,” he added.
Baru was an influential member of the supreme council of the defunct PBDS. After PBDS was deregistered in October 2004, he supported the formation of Malaysian Dayak Congress (MDC), but MDC failed to get registered.
Baru then suggested that all proponents and ex-PBDS members should join PKR, a multi-racial party as he saw the formation of Pakatan Rakyat (PR) by PKR, DAP and PAS after last year’s general election as opening the way for a two-party system in the country.
“This is good for the Dayak community and we must support it,” he told his former colleagues.
No comments:
Post a Comment