‘Mana kata nya lah sia’ — Abang Johari brushes off criticisms over Sarawak’s devt

Abang Johari participating in the 'Ngetas Ranyai' at the 'Ngiling Bidai' ceremony in Gedong on June 16, 2024.

By Shikin Louis

GEDONG, June 16: Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg has chosen to ignore the negative criticism thrown at him with regards to Sarawak’s development.

Speaking during the Gedong District-level Gawai Dayak ‘Ngiling Bidai’ ceremony held at RTC Munggu Lalang Hall here today, he said Sarawak’s development has garnered attention from many parties including those with envy.

“Nya nganok saya—sikda hal lah. (They criticised me—nevermind.)

“Anok-anok lah, mana kata nya lah sia. (Let them criticise, it’s up to them),” he said.

He further said his only focus now is to see Gedong, Sarawakians and the State as a whole, develop by 2030.

“When we develop, it is normal to have people envious of us—it is human nature.

“For me, if they criticise me, let them be. As long as I am sincere, I will be rewarded by God,” he added.

At the same time, Abang Johari who is also Gedong assemblyman, called on all Sarawak leaders to pay no mind to critics and only focus on serving the people.

He acknowledged that there are critics who have obviously shown their jealousy, but Abang Johari treated it as a normal reaction considering that Sarawak has recorded total revenue of RM13 billion last year, an achievement that other Malaysian states combined won’t be able to achieve.

Recently, a content creator wrote two articles titled “When will Abang Jo’s luck runs out?” and “A challenge to you Abang Johari, if you are as great as you think you are” which were uploaded on a news aggregator website.

The articles allegedly contained malicious and baseless accusations about Abang Johari’s leadership and the achievements of the State’s leaders.

As of June 13, a total of six police reports have been made against the writer. — DayakDaily