KUCHING: Sarawak Opposition Chief Baru Bian believes that with the help of generous Malaysians who truly desire change in the country, “we can make a difference”. He urged all Malaysians to make a contribution for change.
“We do not have RM2.6 billion donors, but we have you,” he added in making a call that each citizen contribute RM26 for outreach activities to help make a difference in the lives of their fellow men.
In order to carry out outreach activities, said Baru, PKR was launching a “RM26 for Change” campaign. “We are asking Malaysians to help us achieve our vision by contributing just RM26 to our funds.”
“Some of the projects that the party has carried out include mini/micro-hydro projects and solar energy projects in the villages of Sarawak.”
Small projects like these are extremely beneficial to the people, he continued, many of whom have had no access to electricity before this.
“Such projects help to show them that there is an alternative to the Barisan Nasional (BN) Government, whose modus operandi has been to make huge promises before the elections, but never fulfilling these promises after they win.”
Baru, who is also Ba’ Kelalan Assemblyman, sees a need for a change in government so that the country can begin to mend the “damage” inflicted by years of mismanagement and corruption by the BN Government.
In the 2013 General Election, he reminded, the Opposition won nearly 53 per cent of the popular vote, “but BN managed to win more seats through gerrymandering and unfair tactics.”
He pointed out that BN won 20 of the seats contested by PKR, but the wins were marginal. “We believe that we can win these seats in the next General Election.”
“We are starting our work now to reach out to our voters, especially in the rural areas, and to train our volunteers.”
2015 was not a good year for Malaysia, said Baru in reviewing the last year. “Three days before the end of the year, Malaysia was named as No. 3 for the world’s worst corruption scandals by foreignpolicy.com, specifically referring to the 1MBD corruption fiasco.”
Earlier, in July 2015, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) revealed that RM2.6 bil had been deposited in the Prime Minister’s personal account, noted Baru. “The US-based paper claimed that the money had come from 1MDB.”
“A Special Task Force was set up to investigate 1MDB but it was dissolved when the Attorney-General was sacked by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak. A few months after the revelations, the Prime Minister claimed that the money had come from a mysterious donor but this source has never been identified.”
The money from 1MDB was spent to make sure BN won the General Election in 2013, alleged Baru. “This was revealed in the minutes of 1MDB meetings, which were seen by the WSJ.”
“By March 2014, 1MDB had accumulated debts of RM42 billion. Since then, the value of the ringgit has fallen drastically and the Prime Minister has had to introduce GST to increase government revenue.”
People are feeling the pinch as their spending power has been greatly reduced, lamented Baru.-FreeMalaysiaToday
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