DAPSY: Image amended, PBB Youth should also recognise federal role in Bintulu Port deal

Soo (left) clarifies that the picture error due to oversight has been corrected.

By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, June 23: Democratic Action Party Socialist Youth (DAPSY) Sarawak has clarified that an online poster on the return of Bintulu Port to Sarawak, which was later amended to properly feature the Sarawak Premier, resulted from an inadvertent oversight and was never intended to mock or disrespect any leader.

Responding to criticism from Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Youth over the poster’s original layout being described as “disrespectful”, DAPSY Sarawak deputy chief Soo Tien Ren said the design issue was immediately corrected once it was highlighted, with the revised version ensuring that the image of Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg is clearly displayed.

He stressed that while visual presentation can be rectified, facts must not be distorted, adding that both the federal government and the Sarawak government played roles in the return of Bintulu Port to Sarawak.

“The picture has been corrected. Now it is time for PBB Youth to correct its distorted political narrative,” he said in a statement today.

The clarification comes after PBB Youth information chief Royston Valentine criticised DAPSY Sarawak for allegedly obscuring the face and presence of the Premier in its online content related to the Bintulu Port handover, describing the action as rude, arrogant, disrespectful, and an insult to the contributions of Sarawak’s leadership.

Soo said DAPSY Sarawak maintained that the return of Bintulu Port was the result of long-standing Sarawak efforts linked to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), sustained negotiations by the Sarawak government, public support for greater autonomy, and cooperation from the federal government.

“I had already stated in my press statement yesterday that the Sarawak government has its efforts, and the federal government also has its role. This is not about claiming credit, but about respecting facts,” he said.

He also questioned whether PBB Youth would acknowledge what he described as the basic fact of joint responsibility in the port’s transfer process.

Soo noted that Bintulu Port had been under federal jurisdiction since its declaration as a federal port in 1979, with the Bintulu Port Authority established in 1981 to oversee its operations under the federal framework.

He said that despite decades of administration under Barisan Nasional, and later during the Perikatan Nasional era and previous federal governments led by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, the transfer of control did not materialise.

“In contrast, it is under the current unity government that, through negotiations between the Pakatan Harapan-led federal government and the Sarawak government, the process of valuation, legislation and transfer was completed,” he said.

He added that federal Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook and other relevant stakeholders also played a role in facilitating the legislative and institutional process.

Soo said the assertion that the port was “bought back” for RM1.8 billion should not be used to dismiss the federal government’s role, stressing that the arrangement was the outcome of structured negotiations and agreed valuation between both governments.

“They cannot deny one fact: during the BN and PN eras, there was not even the political will to allow Sarawak to enter into the process of negotiation, valuation, legislation and transfer,” he added.

Soo maintained that DAPSY Sarawak has never denied the Sarawak government’s efforts or the broader struggle for MA63-related rights, but insisted that the current federal government’s role in enabling the final transfer should also be acknowledged.

He said mature politics should not revolve around monopolising credit or politicising administrative outcomes, but instead focus on delivering results for Sarawak.

“Respecting leaders is important, but respecting facts is equally important,” he said, adding that Sarawak does not belong to any single political party and the public has the right to a full account of developments involving both federal and state governments. — DayakDaily