Guan Eng calls for rapprochement

Guan Eng calls for rapprochement
By Raymond Tan


SIBU: Democratic Action Party (DAP) national secretary general Lim Guan Eng on Saturday night called for a reconciliation between DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) in Sarawak towards the spirit of cooperation in Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

In a press interview after the 30th anniversary celebration of DAP Sarawak here, he said he was aware that the two parties were not in good terms in the state.

He hoped both could come to the negotiation table towards unity in PR.

“I hope both can put aside their differences that have brewed from the last general election,” he added.

He said some of the PKR leaders in Sarawak were former leaders of DAP in the state, and the friction with DAP might have lingered on from that time.

He believed they might partially be the stumbling block towards the negotiation, and he believed the reconciliation could only be achieved if both parties could put aside their personal feelings.

“If they are talking with resentful feeling, the negotiation will lead to nowhere,” he said.

Therefore, he felt there was a need to change the way of negotiation and he left it to both parties in the state to iron out.

Lim said there was no problem in the relationship between DAP and PKR at the national level, adding that he and PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim got on well.

He said the party central would try not to meddle with the state affairs, or else, this would cause unhappiness among the party’s grassroots here.

He said if the two still could not see eye to eye after much efforts, “then, sadly, the two might have to be involved in three-cornered fights with the Barisan Nasional candidates in future elections again”.

But, Lim hoped this would not happen.

“Worst come to worst, if the differences cannot be solved, the party central will stay out of this by putting a fire wall,” he said.

During the anniversary dinner, Lim, who is also Penang Chief Minister, was asked about his feeling in taking over the office of the Chief Minister.

When asked by DAP Sarawak chairman Richard Wong on stage whether he had any experience in the job, he gave a negative reply, but, Lim was quick to add that “I have no experience in corruption either”.

Lim said his team had aspired for a government that was clean, just, democratic and for the people.

“It is the people whom we work for, and it is for them that we are in the government,” he added.

He said they aspired to eradicate poverty in Penang within a year, and they were giving a helping hand to Chinese private education development as well.

“We do not just talk. We don’t give aid once in five years when an election comes around. We give aid annually with a fund of RM1 million to Chinese private education.”

Even in Perak, he said the PR government also gave out land to the people in exchange for a symbolic token of RM1.

“We should bring changes for the people so that they will benefit them. We also aspire for a just and democratic government and we want to do away with detention under ISA also,” he said.

Towards a clean government, he said state assemblymen and councillors were barred from land application because the land belonged to the people.

“We do not allow the government executives to buy new cars as well.

“If the ordinary people can drive old cars, why can’t we? If the people can fly in economic class, why can’t we?”

On IT development, he said Penang was the first state in the country to provide free access to Internet for the people.

“This is important because we promote Internet education to boost learning. We want to help poor students through this so as to give them the same opportunity in learning.”

He said he never dared to say he was the chief minister, but, the people gave that chance to him.

Selangor senior exco Teresa Kok also spoke and she dwelt at length on her experiences during her detention under the ISA.

Perak senior exco Ngeh Koo Ham also spoke.