Disabled ‘punished’ for supporting PKR

A Sarawak State Assistant Minister allegedly showed his 'cruel' side when he instructed two government departments to revoke aid to a deformed man.

SRI AMAN: Fifty-one-year-old Frusis Lebi’s hands and feet are deformed. So it came as a double blow to him when he discovered last year that both his welfare allowance and his subsidies for fertilitiser and seedlings were revoked.

Lebi, who lives in Entulang longhouse in Sri Aman, is an opposition supporter who believes he has been victimised by Mong Dagang, the Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) Youth chief, who is also the State Assistant Minister of Agriculture (research and marketing)

Lebi’s biggest mistake is that he openly supported the opposition in the last state election and hoisted a PKR flag in front of his house.

A “heartless” Dagang had apparently instructed his officers to cancel Lebi’s subsidies and allegedly advised the Welfare Department to do the same. Both forms of aid stopped in October last year.
Armed with the letter allegedly from Dagang, Lebi sought the help of the Sri Aman DAP branch chairman, Leon Jimat Donald.

Together they lodged a police report last Friday against Dagang, for allegedly abusing his power against a disabled man.

“I am extremely shocked to read the letter believed to be from Dagang to the Departments of Agriculture and Welfare instructing them to revoke agricultural subsidies and welfare allowance for him on grounds that Lebi openly supported the opposition.

“I couldn’t believe that Dagang is so cruel and heartless against a disabled man on the grounds that he supported the opposition and hoisted a PKR flag in front of his house, and that he was against government policy.

“Dagang also allegedly accused Lebi of permitting the opposition to use his house as an operation centre” said Jimat.

Cruel act

Jimat said that Lebi did not deny that he was supporting the opposition during the last state election.

But he has vehemently denied that his house was the operation centre for the opposition.

“All he did was to put up the PKR flag in front of his house,” Jimat said, adding that the party was appalled by this excessive punishment and inhumane treatment of Lebi.

He said Dagang had no right to be “so cruel” to a disabled man, especially since the government aid came from the taxpayers.

“How can Dagang be so cruel to deny Lebi, a disabled man, his government aid? It is not Dagang’s personal money, neither is it Barisan Nasional’s money.

“It is the taxpayers’ money. All Malaysians pay taxes regardless whether they support Pakatan Rakyat or BN.

‘Unfair policies’

“I believe Lebi is not against government policy per se, but he is surely against the unfair and unjust policies of BN, which happens to be the government of the day.

“He was probably hoisting the PKR flag during the election with the hope that Pakatan would be the next state government,” Jimat said.

Jimat said that Dagang’s letter clearly reflected his total disregard and utter contempt for Lebi’s democratic rights.

Demanding that Dagang apologise to Lebi and his family, he also said the former should restore Lebi’s government subsidies and welfare allowance.

“Being government departments, the Welfare and Agriculture Departments should not allow themselves to be used as political tools of Dagang,” he said.

“They (government departments) cannot take part in politics, otherwise everything will go haywire when the Pakatan forms the next government,” he added.

Joseph Tawie | March 5, 2012