IF TAIB MAHMUD RESIGNS?

By : AMDE SIDIK

IT would be an extra ordinary political relief for Sarawakians if just before announcing the dissolution of Sarawak State Assembly as predicated on Monday, Taib Mahmud the Chief Minister of Sarawak resigns from politic. I’m just taking a cue from what Najib said that he has already talked about retirement plan for Taib?

If that happens this could be the long waited break, the change in political environment from the control of one iron fist Ketua Menteri, to perhaps a liberal and democratize politics, reminiscence of Mustapha’s era in Sabah in 80s.

In another scenario though the change of wind may be for Sarawak State BN. BN may be able to wrist comfortably it seats because local may prefer local BN, as opposed to imported political parties. They have learnt a few things from Sabah’s experience, as well the chaos they have with Peninsular based parties.

Sarawak people don’t want UMNO to come to Sarawak with exception of very few leaders. This may be a new leaf for a new political appetite. BN Sarawak has resources, and the Taib factors are gone. Taib no longer in the limelight, so what the fuss about? Of course this is my view

This is where SNAP, Sarawak local party is still relevant, for whatever reason SNAP must take a leading role; it can’t effort to be bullied by peninsular political party. I can only give views from our experience having Peninsula political parties in control of the state.

Who dares say autonomous for Sabah?

Let me just go on a bit, in less than a year ago not many Sabahans and Sarawakians dared to talk a loud about issue of autonomy. In fact few Sabahans have been imprisoned for being brave enough to say this word-autonomy.

To many people autonomy means pulling out of Malaysia. Let me in this little note again explain in a laymen terms.

People laughed and ridiculed SAPP members who said it openly during the last by election at Batu Sapi, Sandakan.

SAPP members were accused of daydreaming. ‘How could Sabah be autonomous when we don’t have our own army, marine, navy, police force and air force on our own?’ They said.

Two things need briefly explained, one, during the Batu Sapi by election SAPP had not been ready for any election not even by election after it pulled out of BN 2008, but it leaders had a fair idea of what autonomy was in their mind at that time.

We were competing against time to couch our members. The by election came all of a sudden, nonetheless however raw it was the idea of autonomy was in the air-come what may so to speak.

Second, the autonomy we wanted to mean is exactly what the Sabahans are now saying. It wasn’t about lacking of army, the navy and air force alike. In actual fact there isn’t any need to elaborate, most people on the street know by themselves what autonomy we talked about.

For a little illustration, we have no autonomy over providing employment in Sabah, take an example in oil palm plantations because the owners of plantations, which headquartered in Kuala Lumpur themselves decide the recruitment, say labourers for million hectors of palm oil plantations in Sabah. We’ve not yet talking about licensing permits to install factories, machineries, so on and so forth. In other words, all buttons are in Kuala Lumpur which Sabahans have no power; Sabahans’ autonomy to provide employment for its citizens has been taken away as simple as that.

Now everyone is talking about autonomy even other opposition parties, which accused SAPP of daydreaming are claiming to champion for Sabah autonomy.

NOTE: Hj Amde Sidik is Deputy President of SAPP.