Francis Harden Hollis, an assistant minister for education, innovation and talent development, was accused of going against the people’s rights for saying that it was “absurd” for the government to pay these community leaders.

Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii said the statement was an insult against the “tuai rumah” (longhouse chiefs) who represented the interest and welfare of their people.

He said the community leaders should not be beholden to any government or even political party.

“Sadly, such toxic and oppressive political culture has been plaguing Sarawak all these years where the state government uses its position to instil fear and control over the people, especially in the rural areas, even when they have been left behind with the most basic infrastructures.

“It is the democratic right of the rakyat to keep the government in check, including disagreeing or not supporting the decisions made by the government of the day,
especially if it is bad or not beneficial for their people,” he said in a statement.

Sarawak Bersih chairman Ann Teo believed that Hollis was sending a reminder to the community leaders upon their appointment.

“It is appalling, however, that this latest reminder speaks volumes of how entrenched this culture or mindset is,” she said.

Yii also pushed for an equal allocation of funds for representatives of both sides of the political divide.

“The people should not be punished for their votes. Such a culture of ‘political vindictiveness’ must be changed if we want our country to develop and be a proper beacon of democracy,” he said.

He called for reforms and for the people to reject old politics, saying “when community leaders are politically appointed, politicians think they own them and this must change”.