Sarawak wants stability for all, not just Malays, says Karim

The Sarawak minister calls on leaders to look beyond race and religion when deciding who should lead Malaysia.

He said Sarawakians and Sabahans have become “uncomfortable” with developments in the peninsula, particularly with race and religion appearing to drive the country’s political direction.

Noting that most parties in the peninsula and Borneo were formed along racial or religious lines in the 1950s and 60s, Karim said leaders today must move beyond such criteria when deciding who should lead Malaysia.

“After more than 60 years of Merdeka, there should not be too much focus on race,” the state tourism, creative industry and performing arts minister told FMT.

While insisting that Sarawak does not want to see Malay disunity, Karim said political stability should not be defined solely by Malay political unity.

“We would love to see stability and togetherness not just among Malay parties in Malaya but also among parties that represent the other races and religious groups,” he said.

The Asajaya assemblyman was commenting after Umno vice-president Khaled Nordin told the party’s general assembly that Malay disunity could undermine the confidence Sabah and Sarawak leaders have in West Malaysian leadership.

Khaled said leaders in East Malaysia were not merely observing infighting among Malays, but also asking whether West Malaysians should still be entrusted with leading the country.

Karim said political instability in the peninsula would affect the whole country, including Sabah and Sarawak.

“An unstable Malaya would lead to an unstable Malaysia, and this will also affect Sabah and Sarawak’s future development, especially in our relationship with foreign countries,” he said.

He urged peninsula leaders to better understand the concerns in Sabah and Sarawak, reminding them that the East Malaysian states are equal partners in Malaysia.

Karim acknowledged that given its relatively small number of parliamentary seats, the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition is not in a position to decide on its own who should lead the country.

Nonetheless, he said GPS remains an important partner for parties in the peninsula seeking support to form the federal government.

“GPS is very united and that probably makes the disunited Malayan parties want to court us — to increase their support to form the national government.

“We will act as the ‘stabiliser’ for who should lead Malaysia,” he said.