By : JOE FERNANDEZ
STATE REFORM PARTY (Star) Chairman,
Jeffrey Kitingan is once again in the news for the wrong reasons. He has
stirred a hornet’s nest in Sabah by claiming that all politicians in Sabah,
including his brother Joseph Pairin Kitingan, are frogs.
He thinks that this will
explain him being discredited time and again by Sabahans as the King of Frogs.
Jeffrey has, by most counts, moved through as many as six political parties but
all this is water under the bridge and for the most part irrelevant.
His considered opinion is
that other politicians continued their political frogging until they secured a
comfort zone for themselves, albeit “at the expense of the people”.
In his case, according to
him, he continued frogging until he could find a political vehicle which could
accept his “struggle for the people”.
Of course, there’s the
little matter of him not finding any political vehicle for his struggle until
he set up Star. This begs the question of why he didn’t make such a move
earlier.
Jeffrey’s comments on other
political frogs have been dismissed by them as completely untrue. They claim to
be struggling for the people too – by “bringing development to them” – instead
of focusing on whatever Jeffrey is preaching all the time.
So far, it has all been needless
indulgence in the politics of distraction and disruption from the real issues
of the day. No doubt politicians in Sabah love the sound of their own voices.
The Star chairman obviously
feels that “man does not live by bread alone”.
“What does it profit a man
if he gains the whole world but suffers the loss of his own soul?” asks Star
deputy chairman Daniel John Jambun rhetorically. “This is the thrust of our
struggle.”
Daniel may have a point
about struggling for the soul of Sabah — i.e. to save it and obviously from the
clutches of Peninsular Malaysia and their local proxies and their stooges — but
that’s about as far as it goes.
His boss seems to be
squatting so far on the so-called struggle for the people.
He has blown hot and cold on
Daniel John and Co internationalizing the struggle for Borneo in Malaysia.
Therein lies an emerging
split in Star which will either see Jeffrey being ousted from his own party or
many Supreme Council members leaving for the Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) which has
been approved in principle in recent weeks. The party is awaiting its
registration certificate. PCS plans to join the Star-initiated, formed and led
United Borneo Alliance (UBA).
The proof of the pudding is
in the eating.
Jeffrey has confined himself
thus far in his ceramah to explaining the history of Sabah before and in
Malaysia. No one can fault him here since not many people, especially the
younger generation, are conversant with the historical facts.
But the movement for Sabah
does not seem to be moving from rhetoric to action.
To digress a little, the
younger generation doesn’t seem to be too bothered by Sabah’s history in
Malaysia.
Instead, they have cut the
Gordian knot and are asking why Sabah should be in Malaysia at all.
Their logic is simple: Peninsular
Malaysia is so far away, we can’t even breathe without their permission, and
“why are we in Federation with them especially since we can be on our own?”
Others ask: “How did we get
into this situation and how do we get out?”
Jeffrey has no answers and
it would be foolhardy for anyone, judging from his politics since 1984, to look
to him.
True, he did lead a rowdy
Star crowd to greet Prime Minister Mohd Najib Abdul Razak on his recent visit
to Keningau where he (Najib) announced a quarter billion ringgit loan to Sabah
for a water treatment plant.
They had placards reading
“Sabah’s independence” and castigating Putrajaya for behaving like an Ah Long
(loan shark) with Sabah after seizing almost all its revenue for itself.
This is the first time that
Jeffrey has been associated with “Sabah’s independence”. No one is sure what it
means. So, the excitement was lacking.
It would have been different
had Jeffrey stated in no uncertain terms that Malaysia has ceased to exist
following the Federal Government’s non-compliance on the five constitutional
documents and/or constitutional conventions on Malaysia i.e. the 1963 Malaysia
Agreement (MA63), the Three-Point Oath Stone (Batu Sumpah) witnessed and
solemnized by the Federal Government in Keningau, the 20/18 Points, the Inter
Governmental Committee Report and the Cobbold Commission Report.
Non-compliance ipso facto
meant that Sabah’s self-determination of 31 Aug 1963 (Sarawak 22 July 1963)
remains undiminished.
Jeffrey lost a golden
opportunity in Keningau to say what he meant and mean what he said.
In any case, he appears to
be no messiah for his flock.
The thrust of his complaints
thus far has been that the Federal Government has been in non-compliance on
MA63. He wants Putrajaya to set up a compliance mechanism.
This is unlikely to happen
as MA63 has ceased to exist by virtue of non-compliance but Jeffrey refuses to
accept this and continues to flog the proverbial dead horse on a compliance
mechanism.
Not surprising he has been
accused by no less than former Sabah Chief Minister Harris Salleh of seriously
misleading the people with his propaganda barrage on a compliance mechanism.
Harris claims that MA63 – and the four other constitutional documents and/or
constitutional conventions – “has been overtaken by events”. This is euphemism
for non-compliance. However, Harris dreads and avoids the term non-compliance.
Jeffrey’s politics also
glosses over the fact that Sabahans are by no means united on being out of
Malaysia or even in Malaysia.
Putrajaya has done a very
successful job since 1963 of pitting the people in the state against each
other, introducing polarisation a la Peninsular Malaysia, and ensuring proxy
control of the politics of the state.
The political situation has
been further compounded by the influx of illegal immigrants who have over the
years allegedly found their way into the electoral rolls.
These illegals see Putrajaya
and Malaysia as the best guarantee of their continued existence in Sabah.
Local Muslims see the
illegals as being in the state particularly at their expense, further
marginalizing and disenfranchising them as the opportunities that should go to
them dwindle even further.
Jeffrey is yet to bridge the
non-Muslim-local Muslim disconnect created by Putrajaya over nearly five
decades. So far, only some of the Dusuns including Muslims and Muruts are with
him. The same goes for the Suluks, Brunei Muslims and Chinese. He has hardly
any support among the Bajau and Irranun.
The Chinese appear caught
between the Orang Asal (Natives) – the Murut and the Dusuns including the
Kadazan or urban Dusun – the local Muslims and the illegals.
Jeffrey will be no
game-changer unless he can get his act together and help forge total unity
among Sabahans i.e. Orang Asal and the others alike to take on the illegals
allegedly on the electoral rolls.
Charity begins at home.
Getting his act together
would first mean setting his own house in order.
There are growing complaints
that Star is a one-man show with little evidence of democracy in action,
unrepresentative, and no empowerment of the leadership and members.
Jeffrey’s aides seem to be
more powerful than even the party’s three deputy chairmen. The aides have since
prevailed on their boss to issue a gag order on anyone other than Jeffrey issuing
press statements. These statements are invariably written by the aides.
The party has also yet to
reveal its vision, mission, objectives, goals and activities although there’s a
draft prepared by several Supreme Council members. The draft has reportedly
been dismissed by Jeffrey’s aides as “spin and bullshit”.
The oft-cited party
Manifesto, again provided by several Supreme Council members in draft form, has
been allowed to gather dust on the shelf by Jeffrey’s aides on the grounds that
it was not written by their boss, “it was just spin and bullshit”, and that
“Star (meaning Jeffrey’s aides) has its own way of doing things”.
It appears to be clear to
many that if the two respective drafts can be “rejected”, then Jeffrey is
clearly no game-changer and can be discounted from the emerging political
equation in Sabah and Malaysia.
JK terlalu bangga dengan parti barunya. tengoklah STAR ni macam mana nanti. mungkin senasib dengan STAR Sarawak.
ReplyDeletekalau Jeffrey yang tadbir.. mmg tidak akan kemana.. Jeffrey kan raja katak.
DeleteJeffrey has jumped ship countless times throughout his political career.
DeleteHow can we put our trust on a frog?
http://sabah-go-green.blogspot.com/
Kami menantikan sejauh mana STAR boleh pergi. Mungkin STAR berjaya menambat hari rakyat?
DeleteStar sendiri tak diterima di Sarawak, apa lagi di Sabah.
ReplyDeletePKR said Jeffrey does not have the rights to claim that he represents Borneo.
ReplyDeletehttp://sabah-go-green.blogspot.com/
Party members who are highly united will be the key factor in determining victory for BN in the next general election
DeleteBukan mudah untukparti baru seperti STAR diteriam oleh orang Sabahan.
ReplyDeleteSTAR harus buktikan bahawa mereka ikhlas dan bukannya semata-mata untuk memenuhi kehendak dan matlamatnya sendiri.
ReplyDeleteunity and teamwork will ensure a great win for BN so it could remain as the ruling party.
ReplyDeleteISu yang kita sering dengar mengenai JK ini adalah mengenai RAJA KATAK yang terkenal di Sabah. Maka tidak pelbagai parti telah disertai sejak dulu lagi, tapi keluar masuk parti saja dan tidak ada pendirian yang tetap.
ReplyDeleteyang paling buruk tu, setiap kali dia keluar parti, mesti sebab tidak diberikan jawatan presiden..
DeleteTerpulang kepada cara JK nanti untuk mendekati rakyat. Sendiri ada jalan dan pilihan.
ReplyDeleteada banyak cara untuk JK mendekati rakyat.. tapi sejauhmana dia mampu memajukan negeri ini disamping menyelesaikan masalah2 rakyat, itu yang jadi persoalan.. mampukah pemimpin yang tidak mempunyai pendirian tetap dan gila kuasa memikul tanggungjawab besar ini??
Deletesaya harap rakyat Sabah tidak memilih pemimpin yang yang mana perjalanan politiknya sangat buruk dan tercemar seperti JK..
ReplyDeletememang terang2 beliau jenis pemimpin yang gila kuasa.. setiap kali dia lompat, mesti sebab dia tidak dapat jawatan presiden parti.. last2 terpaksa dia bawa parti luar masuk ke negeri ini semata2 mahu jadi presiden parti.. tidak cukup itu, dia umumkan lagi mahu bertanding di semua kerusi..
ReplyDeleteJeffrey left PBS in 1994 to form new party, Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) but subsequently left it to join AKAR, and then left AKAR after failing to become president and rejoined PBS.
ReplyDeleteDatuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan''s justification for party hopping was lame and did not hold water.
ReplyDeleteHe said being a so-called seasoned politician, Jeffrey also needed to get his historical facts right.
ReplyDeleteChief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman did not jump from Usno to Umno as claimed by Jeffrey.
ReplyDeleteJeffrey left PBS in 1994 to form new party, Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) but subsequently left it to join AKAR, and then left AKAR after failing to become president and rejoined PBS.
ReplyDeleteHe again dumped PBS when he failed to get into the mainstream of the PBS leadership and after leaving PBS he tried to join UMNO before the 2004 election but was not accepted.
ReplyDeleteAnd history tends to repeat itself with Jeffrey rejoining PBRS but that decision was shortlived when he ditched the party after failing to unseat Kurup as president.
ReplyDeleteAfter more or less running the entire BN gamut, Jeffrey tried his luck with the opposition and joined Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).
ReplyDelete