“THE DEWAN Rakyat Deputy
Speaker cum Beluran MP is not correct in attempting to state Sabah is on an
equal footing with the other States in the Federation and his examples
including on the important positions occupied by Sabahan leaders and officials
in the federal government and fair share of continuous development as balanced
and equitable are totally out of place and incorrect,” said Edward Linggu, STAR
Sabah Information Chief, in response to
the Deputy Speaker’s statement reported in the local media.
Sabahan leaders and
officials rarely get appointed to important positions in the federal
government. This can be quickly
confirmed by a quick glance at all the important positions in the federal
government and federal departments and agencies.
Exception Due to 2008
Election Results
The only noticeable
exception is certain Sabahans were elevated in the federal cabinet after the
political tsunami in the 2008 general elections. That too was by default and by good fortune
of the results of the elections where the BN government needed to be rescued
and propped up by the lawmakers from Sabah and Sarawak.
As a result, certain
lawmakers were rewarded with positions including that of the Dewan Rakyat
Speaker and Deputy Speakers, for fear that they may abandon the BN ship
resulting in a change-over of the government to Pakatan Rakyat.
However, it is sad to see
that the lawmakers from Sabah merely looked after their own and their party’s
interests and failed to capitalize on the window of opportunity to seek the
restoration of Sabah’s rights and autonomy including seeking a review of the
1976 Oil Agreement and an increase in the oil revenue for the benefit and
future of Sabah and Sabahans.
Inequitable Development in
Sabah and Sarawak
It is sad to see a senior
Sabahan leader telling his constituents that Sabah’s good stead in the
federation needs to be maintained for the state to have its fair share of
continuous development and that the rate of development implemented in all the
states as balanced and equitable.
Just ask any Sabahan who
have been to the Peninsular will tell our honourable MP that the rate of
development and the level of development is lop-sided in favour of the
Peninsular states.
The promise of development
was a major factor tilting the decision of Sabah founding fathers to agree to
forming Malaysia with Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore in 1963.
After 49 years in the
federation, Sabah has descended from the 2nd richest State after Selangor in
1970 to now the poorest in Malaysia as reported by the World Bank.
Apart from the abject
poverty where 40% of all poor Malaysians are in Sabah and Labuan, Sabah has a
deplorable system of roads not even comparable to the rural kampong roads in
the Peninsular.
There is a lack of piped
clean water even in the biggest interior town of Keningau, what more in the
more rural areas like the Deputy Speaker’s own Beluran district.
To add salt to the injury,
the federal government has spent billions for rural water supply but has chosen
to grant a RM235 million loan to improve water supply in part of Keningau.
And to rub the salt in, one
wonders what has happened to the RM22.7 billion in federal taxes collected by
the federal government from Sabah for 2011 that the RM235 million needs to be
given as a loan and not a special grant?
What more of the RM15
billion of oil revenue collected from Sabah for 2011?
Time to Replace the Umno/BN
Government?
The statement by the
honourable Deputy Speaker clearly demonstrate the fact that Sabahans need to
stand up and be united to determine their future and not let another
opportunity for outsiders and proxies
and stooges of Malayan parties to control Sabah.
The time has come for
Sabahans to vote out the Umno/BN government in Sabah and replace them with
patriotic Sabahans who are prepared to put Sabah’s interests, rights and
autonomy first ahead of personal and party interests.
Sabah’s future lies in the
hands of us Sabahans.
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