Instead, Kota Sentosa assemblyman Wilfred Yap of the Sarawak United People’s Party dared DAP to push for third-generation Malaysians of such descent to be recognised as Bumiputeras at the federal level.

“If DAP truly believes that third-generation Sarawakians of other descent should be recognised as natives or Bumiputeras, then they should demand that this be implemented at the federal level, where they actually have the power to do so,” he said, according to Dayak Daily.

He cited the number of positions DAP now held in the Cabinet.

Yap dismissed Sarawak DAP’s call as mere political rhetoric, saying it sounded appealing but ignored the special constitutional status and rights of Sarawak’s indigenous people.

He said true equality meant providing equal access to opportunities while respecting and preserving the heritage and identity of others.

He also claimed that DAP’s criticism of the Sarawak government’s policies was merely an attempt to deflect attention from the party’s own failure to deliver on long-standing national promises.

In contrast, Yap said the GPS state government had recognised the Unified Examination Certificate for entry into the state civil service.

“In contrast to DAP’s political rhetoric, GPS has delivered social justice through concrete systems … DAP should start honouring its own promises nationally before preaching to others.”

The proposal to recognise third-generation Sarawakians of Chinese, Indian or other descent as natives was tabled at Sarawak DAP’s annual convention in Bintulu yesterday.

Its chairman, Chong Chieng Jen, had made a similar call in 2022.

In March, Julau MP Larry Sng also suggested that the Sarawak government consider giving Bumiputera status to Sarawakian Chinese, arguing that ancestors of many of them had lived in the state for 150 years.

Native status in Sarawak is defined by the Sarawak Interpretation Ordinance and is conferred on a person from any of the indigenous ethnic groups of Sarawak, including Iban, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu or Malay.