RAFIZI Ramli has been branded a liar for saying PKR could better negotiate Sarawak’s status and rights when the party “is in both the federal and state governments”.

The deputy president aspirant, when addressing party delegates in Kuching yesterday, said if Pakatan Harapan won the 2021 state elections, negotiations on the return of the state’s eroded rights would be “more direct” as incoming president Anwar Ibrahim “will be the eighth prime minister”.

“We can work together to return the rights of Sarawak to the people of Sarawak,” the PKR vice-president told the crowd.

Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) senior deputy president and Gabungan Parti Sarawak whip Fadillah Yusof slammed Rafizi’s remarks as “an outright lie”.

“The lie is as plain as day. What happened to all the promises PH made to Sarawak in its 14th general election manifesto? The promise to give more autonomy, and the 20% increase in oil royalty?”

The former works minister said PKR was a member of the coalition that made such election pledges, and the party was now “twisting and turning” in its statements when attempting to explain PH’s failure to keep its word.

Sarawak United People’s Party Youth secretary-general Milton Foo echoed Fadillah’s sentiment.

He said it had been more than 100 days since PH won federal power, and Sarawakians “have not seen any steps taken by the new government to return those rights to Sarawak”.

“Rafizi, coming to Sarawak, is making exactly the same promises contained in the PH manifesto. Can such a leader, especially a politician from the peninsula, be trusted?”

PBB vice-president Abdul Karim Hamzah said Rafizi’s words were “what most politicians would say when they want support”.

“(Former prime minister) Najib (Razak) and Barisan Nasional said the same thing (when they sought Sarawak’s support),” he told The Malaysian Insight.

“And look at what happened. We waited years for physical development. Only after 50 years of Malaysia did we see the Pan Borneo Highway taking shape.”

Karim, who is also state tourism, arts, culture, youth and sports minister, accused Rafizi of disrespecting Sarawakians and treating them as though they could not think for themselves.

“This is not 1963, when one hardly saw graduates or professionals in Sarawak. This is 2018, and there are thousands of Sarawakians who are graduates, and who are able to analyse what politicians like Rafizi are saying.”

State rights activist Lina Soo told Rafizi to quit claiming PKR had the ability to better negotiate the state’s status and rights.

“If PH sincerely wants to comply with the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and return Sarawak’s status as one of the three partners in the federation, it can do so immediately (without having to wait for the state polls).”

She said all Putrajaya had to do to tackle the status issue was table the amendment to Article 1 of the federal constitution at the next parliamentary sitting.

“Tabling the amendment is a federal parliamentary matter, not state. There is no need to discuss further what had been agreed on in 1963.”

Soo, who is also State Reform Party president, said the federal government should comply with MA63 as “all terms and conditions were agreed, signed and sealed 55 years ago”.

However, she said, she did not believe this would happen, regardless of who held the post of prime minister.

Rubbishing Rafizi’s claim that Anwar as prime minister would be a boost for Sarawak, she said the the latter “never respected the rights of Sarawak and Sabah” when he was deputy prime minister and an Umno member.

“For Rafizi to suggest that the federal government can do all this only if it (PH) rules Sarawak is to hoodwink voters into believing in meaningless election promises, which we have discovered mean nothing to the PH regime.”

Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru Youth chief Rapelson Richard Hamit said PH was no different from the BN government it ousted, with regard to how Sarawak was treated.

“They just have no desire to comply with MA63.”

State rights activist Dominique Ng, who is also a PKR assemblyman, said Sarawakians would quickly see that whichever pact ruled Putrajaya was interested only in power.

“They will continue to maintain the policies that will extract the most out of Sarawak, which means they won’t give us what we want most of all – ownership over all of our natural resources, like oil and gas, and the right to self-determination.” – September 3, 2018.