KUCHING, June 13: In the quest for independence, Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) said it does not believe in race politics. Party president Voon Lee Shan said this is because it is through race politics that the economy, religious freedom and democracy have been destroyed.
“What we now have is a country that has non-stop arguments and fights for supremacy of race and religion. It is for this reason this country could not, among other matters, come up with a sound education policy to move forward,” Voon said in a press statement.
First, English was used in schools and in government departments, and now, it has been replaced by the Malay language, Voon lamented. He said there are quarters who want English to be used again while others want the use of the Malay language to be continued, and there are also quarters who want English, Malay and andarin to be used.
For over 56 years the experiments over the use of languages had caused this country to be left behind and it cannot even compete with Singapore in terms of development, Voon opined. He said that in PBK, the party identified itself as Sarawakian first, which is, the ‘Sarawak race’. “This is the race we know in the party and by the party before we identify ourselves as other races. The term to describe, classify or identify the people of Sarawak as “Malays, Chinese, Ibans, Bidayuhs and Orang Ulu etc.” is alien to us. The concept of multiracialism or racialism is not in our vocabulary in this struggle for independence,” he said.
To identify the people of Sarawak by races instead of just identifying themselves as Sarawakians first will forever divide the people of Sarawak, Voon opined.
He said such description, classification or identification and the concept of multiracialism or racialism, will perpetuate the segregation of the people of Sarawak and will further perpetuate a divide-and-rule policy, which was started by the British colonial masters.
“PBK only knows the people of Sarawak should be identified as Sarawakians first, because they are born here, grown up, lived, died and buried in the soils of Sarawak. The party believes that Sarawakians do not wish to go anywhere, unless forced to by political and economic environment to do so,” Voon said.
Source: — DayakDaily
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