Activist tells PKR/DAP how to succeed in East M’sia

PETALING JAYA: Anti-sedition and clean-elections activist Adrian Lim Chee En has, in a post currently going viral on Facebook, bluntly listed seven points the Opposition parties of PKR and DAP must observe in East Malaysia if their humiliating defeat in Sarawak is not to be repeated.

Lim, a Sabahan, said he was merely offering “constructive” criticism because while he believed PKR and DAP were sincere in bringing change, they had to seriously “Ubah” and reform their political approach in how they dealt with the people of East Malaysia.

For starters, he advised them against going into the homes of East Malaysians and telling them how under-developed it was. He said criticism like how East Malaysians were less democratic, “less rich, no highway, no water, no electricity” were counter-productive to getting the people’s support.

“Sarawakians are humans, and humans have dignity. The first sense (impression) is ‘why you West Malaysians so arrogant’?” Lim pointed out.

He also advised them against calling East Malaysians stupid just because they voted for Barisan Nasional.

“If you believe in democracy, then you must also respect East Malaysians’ democratic rights to vote BN, whatever the reason of their choice is. You claim to be a democracy fighter, yet when Sarawakians exercise their right to vote BN, you call them stupid. Aint (sic) that oxymoronic?” he asked, noting that voting for the Opposition in East Malaysia may also get a civil servant transferred into the interiors.

He also told PKR and DAP to stop forcing their views upon East Malaysians and added, “Sarawakians and Sabahans know what they want, don’t tell them (what) you think they should have. Time to check whether electricity, roads, water etc is really what they want, and time to check whether they want that from West Malaysians, or do they want that from their own Sarawakians.”

He said it was time local leaders and not West Malaysian politicians, were given space in the media and added, “this is a state election, not a party election.”

He said West Malaysian politicians should understand that Sabah and Sarawak, as well as Peninsular Malaysia, were equal partners under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and that no one should be seen as “the boss”, and gave an added word of caution by saying, “Never dictate the aspirations of Sarawakians.”

“You must let local leaders take centre stage, because only the local leaders will know what their own people want. Get an engineer to tell a doctor what is best for the patient, get a mathematician to tell a lawyer how to fight a court case, you will be screwed big time.”

Lim said West Malaysians should never assume that issues they struggle with are the same as the issues East Malaysians struggle with as well.

“Anak Melayu, Anak Cina, Anak Iban quotes don’t work in Sabah Sarawak because we never had any racial animosity. It works in the Peninsular because racial & religious animosity is high, and there are many who yearn for harmony.”

Bringing religion to advance political causes was also a no-no, Lim said, pointing out that Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan Satem was a “success” and well accepted even by non-Muslims, “because he does not go around showing how Muslim he is.”

Lim, who is the founder of “Mahawasiswa Gangyang Akta Hasutan”, a coalition of 20 student organisations calling for the repeal of the Sedition Act, was once an intern at Lawyers for Liberty.

At the time of writing, the activist’s post had garnered close to 200 “likes” and had close to 100 shares in just two hours after it was uploaded.

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