STAR DECRIES ATTEMPTS TO 'BELITTLE' JEFFREY'S

KOTA KINABALU: The State Reform Party (Star) is not amused by Sukau State Assemblyman, Saddi Abdul Rahman's alleged attempts to 'belittle' party Chief, Jeffrey Kitingan's political struggle for Sabah and Sarawak all these years.

"Saddi is indulging in the politics of distraction and disruption by harping on Jeffrey moving from party to party before finally settling on Star," said a Star Deputy Chairman, Daniel John Jambun. "Saddi even had the cheek to suggest that Jeffrey will eventually abandon the first party he has ever headed in his life."

"He should focus on picking holes, if any, on the Borneo Agenda being promoted by Star and its other partners in the United Borneo Alliance."

Daniel, the party's chief trouble-shooter and a known hawk, was commenting on Saddi's reported statement in Sukau on Mon questioning Jeffrey's 'real agenda' and his commitment to the people's plight.

The Star deputy chief pointed out that it had always been the people's plight which inspired his Chief whenever he hovered on the brink, undecided between moving on or staying on in a party which had no intention of respecting the people's rights.

Jeffrey's struggle in politics has never been about posts and positions, claimed Daniel, but for the re-distribution of political power and the re-distribution of resources, two factors underlining what politics is all about.

"The Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) is an example of a party where Jeffrey could no longer stay on because it does not practise what it preaches "cakap tak serupa bikin," fumed Daniel. "It was the people's plight that eventually forced Jeffrey to leave PKR."

"It was not because he wanted to keep demonstrating that he was indeed the uncrowned King of Frogs as some unkind people keep claiming to discredit him in politics".

Citing oil and gas revenues as an example, Daniel pointed out that Anwar is only promising to take a little less than the current Federal Government's policy IF and when he seizes the reins of power in Putrajaya.

"What holds true for PKR also generally holds for the other parties including Umno which Jeffrey joined or attempted to join."

Jeffrey's well-known stand on the presence of the parti parti Malaya in Sabah and Sarawak, added Daniel, could no longer be reconciled with his continued presence in PKR.

"Jeffrey's membership in PKR was conditional on the party incorporating itself locally in Sabah and Sarawak for full autonomy and the local chapter choosing its own leaders," said Daniel. "Anwar Ibrahim made many promises but kept none of them. He even ignored the party president, his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, and insisted on picking who should head PKR in Sabah and Sarawak."

PKR, continued Daniel, is not in Sabah and Sarawak to serve the people but the political interests of politicians in Peninsular Malaysia who have cast covetous eyes on Putrajaya.

If Jeffrey had continued in PKR, stressed Daniel, he would have been accused of being a traitor to his people "just for the proverbial 30 pieces of silver", willing to be a proxy and stooge of Anwar in his continued attempts to enslave the people of Sabah and Sarawak for his politics and Hidden Agenda.

Daniel assured the Sukau state assemblyman that Jeffrey, at his age, does not need to think of petty personal goals.

His politics now, he reiterated, is all about laying the foundation for the younger generation to carry on with the political struggle when the torch is eventually passed to them, "sooner rather than later".

"Jeffrey might never live to see the fruits of our political struggle realised," conceded Daniel. "But he will die a happy man knowing that Sabah and Sarawak will in time, under the new generation, achieve the equality with Malaya which was promised them under the Malaysia Agreement in 1963."

Daniel, in a parting shot, advised Saddi not to hit below the belt or give simplistic takes on issues he either he doesn't know anything about or pretends not to know.

Besides Daniel, the other Deputy Chairmen in Star are longtime Jeffrey loyalist Awang Ahmad Sah, ex-Borneo Mail Managing Director Paul Voon and Dr Nicholas Guntobon, a medical doctor in private practice in Keningau.

Star is a Borneo-based national party headquartered in Kuching with two chapters viz. Sabah and Sarawak.

A third chapter is expected to be set up soon in Peninsular Malaysia under outgoing Hindraf Makkal Sakthi chairman P. Waythamoorthy who currently has political asylum in Britain.