Parti Bumi Kenyalang Miri Division Chairman and Supreme Council Organising Secretary, Mr. Leslie Ting Siong Ngiap, expressed deep disappointment over the remarks made by Mr. Chong Kong Min, Publicity Secretary of the Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) Pujut Branch, regarding the so-called "one more assemblyman, RM5 million more in allocation" policy.

Such a “money-first” approach to serving the people is unacceptable. Sarawak assemblymen should adopt a “people-first” attitude to truly benefit the rakyat and earn their trust and respect.

A prospective candidate must conduct due diligence before contesting in elections—considering factors such as projected population growth over the next five years, self-assessment of capabilities, and potential funding. The decision to run for office should not be made lightly, only to later complain about being overburdened, population increase, or lack of funding after being elected.

As part of the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition, SUPP should not be using excuses such as "insufficient manpower, heavy burden," or "lack of funds, no development, and limited services" when serving the people. These statements appear to shift responsibility and will surely cost them support in the next election. If the constituency funding is insufficient, a responsible assemblyman should lobby the Sarawak government for additional allocations—especially since SUPP is part of the ruling coalition, not the opposition.

As the saying goes, “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” If assemblymen are sincere in serving the people, they can apply for supplementary funding from the government or take a proactive approach like Muar MP Syed Saddiq, who actively participated in activities within his constituency to raise funds. Waiting passively for electoral boundary changes and hoping for an extra RM5 million allocation shows not only a lack of responsibility but also incompetence, which will alienate the people.

Given that SUPP leaders failed to object to the 1976 Federal Constitution amendment which downgraded Sarawak’s status to one of the 13 states—and even agreed to the change—they should apologise to Sarawakians (as reported in See Hua Daily News on 20 October 2016). Therefore, I question whether Mr. Chong Kong Min, with a guilty conscience, is in any position to question Parti Bumi Kenyalang's sincerity in championing Sarawak’s rights.

I firmly state that the Parti Bumi Kenyalang's has consistently fought for Sarawak’s sovereignty, voiced out on issues relating to reclaiming Sarawak’s rights, and even submitted a legal case in 2023 concerning the full restoration of Sarawak’s sovereignty under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

I also reiterate that the claim of increasing Sarawak’s state seats to secure 1/3 representation in the federal parliament has no constitutional or legal basis. GPS MPs must gain the agreement of the 166 MPs from Peninsular Malaysia via MA63 and the 2022 Federal Constitution (Amendment) Act (Equal Partnership Status) to realistically open a path for increasing Sarawak’s parliamentary seats.

Finally, Mr. Leslie Ting Siong Ngiap emphasized that the Parti Bumi Kenyalang's does not oppose for the sake of opposing, but speaks up for Sarawak and its people. The party aims to provide GPS with more practical policy strategies so that Sarawakians can endure the current difficult “tax-heavy” golden period and move forward toward a brighter, sovereign future.

Leslie Ting Siong Ngiap
Chairman
Parti Bumi Kenyalang (Miri Division)

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