LAWAS: Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Adenan Satem said support from Sarawakians for Barisan Nasional (BN) is crucial to realise the state’s dreams and aspirations.


Adenan (centre) and his wife Puan Sri Dato Jamilah Anu (second right) receiving a Hari Raya souvenir from Awang Tengah (second left).

He said BN’s strength to realise plans and aspirations for the state lies in the confidence of its people in the government and their level of cooperation and support.

“I am not superman. I am an ordinary man who loves Sarawak,” he said at a Hari Raya gathering with the people at the Indoor Stadium here on Monday night.

“The strength of Sarawak is in the confidence in the government and not on my shoulders only, and we will not make it if the people are not with the government,” he added.

He thus called on the people to rally behind the state BN and reject the opposition parties which are from Peninsular Malaysia.

“No one understands Sarawak better than a Sarawakian, and in the same measure West Malaysians on Malaya, and that is why we don’t want these opposition parties and even Umno to come to Sarawak although it is a BN component party,” he stressed, expressing confidence that the state is politically strong and safe.

Downplaying accolades showered on him, he said like everyone else he took up the responsibility to serve the people and the state to the best of his ability.

He had the crowd in stitches with his humour-laced speech but his message was loud and clear for all to understand.

On comments that he was serious and stingy with his smiles, he said: “My face is like that. There is only face which the Almighty gave me and there is nothing much I could do about it but at least I am not double-faced,” he said.

“What is right is right. What is wrong is wrong,” he added.

He then explained why he has to keep extremists like racial and religious bigots out of the state, saying his first priority as chief minister is to ensure that Sarawak is peaceful.

“I have closed the door to any extremists, religious or racial bigots as our state is peaceful and I intend to keep it that way,” he reiterated.

His next priority, he said, is to bring progress to the state, with greater emphasis on rural development, pointing out that urban centres already had the critical mass for progress.

Although much effort had been put in to provide clean water, electricity, build roads and provide other basic infrastructure and amenities, he lamented that funds were inadequate to bring these developments to a wider area of the state due to its huge size.

“We have done that but it is still not sufficient compared to Malaya, and we want to be just as developed,” he added.

The function was also attended by Minister of Housing Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nancy Shukri, State Legislative Assembly speaker Datuk Amar Mohd Asfia Awang Nassar, assistant ministers, members of parliament and state assemblymen.