ONE-TO-ONE FIGHT YET TO ACHIEVE BY PAKATAN

DISCUSS….Assistant Secretary General Datu Shuaib Bin Datu Mutalib and panel member Clement Lee (Youth committee) during the meeting.

By: DULLIE HAJI MARIE

SAPP has already formed a 3-person panel to discuss with DAP on the manifesto that the combined opposition should present to the people of Sabah. Another panel consisting of representatives from the various zones in Sabah, Labuan and Klang valley has been selected by the Supreme Council last week to discuss with the DAP and other Pakatan parties to achieve a one-to-one fight against the Barisan Nasional in the coming general elections.

This discussion is nothing new. In June 2009, when the then PKR vice president Azmin Ali took over as Sabah State PKR Chairman, direct discussions were held with SAPP President, Yong Teck Lee and Deputy President Datuk Eric Majimbun. Several other informal discussions were held.

In fact, SAPP leaders consisting of myself, Datuk Eric Majimbun and Datuk Yong Teck Lee, also had a cordial discussion with PKR Vice President YB Fuziah Salleh yesterday in KK before the PKR Sabah committee meeting. We made it very clear to Fuziah that SAPP have always been committed to the defeat of the BN.

“SAPP’s actions and the sacrifices of its leaders at all levels, to the point of leaving the BN government are proof of SAPP’s fight against the BN. On the other hand, we reminded Fuziah that PKR leaders, including one of its State chairman, had joined UMNO. And we informed her that at the Batu Sapi by-election last year, Pakatan leaders had breached their gentleman agreement with SAPP. And a DAP leader colluded with UMNO to attack SAPP instead of attacking BN.”

Myself and Deputy President, Tuan Haji Amde Sidek joined SAPP on September 17, 2008, the day that SAPP left the BN. Another eight thousand new members had joined SAPP to continue the fight for Sabah autonomy.

Only those few leaders who want to keep their posts and benefits in the BN government have joined Gerakan. The point is that SAPP has been successfully re-branded to become a truly multi-racial party of Sabahans”.

In view of what Fuziah had disclosed that individual Pakatan parties like PKR and DAP will not talk to other parties separately but will speak as a group (Pakatan) to parties like SAPP, we await further communication from DAP whether the discussions with DAP will proceed or not. After the final selection of the PKR panel ‘in the next few days’, we truly hope serious discussions on manifesto and seat sharing will take place.