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(FORUM - BORNEO POST): UMNO Youth Chief, Datuk Hishamudin Tun Hussien’s declaration that defections of Barisan Nasional’s Members of Parliament to the opposition is shameful is totally against the stand that had been advocated by the party when PBS was a government in Sabah in the eighties.
When PBS was the state government, UMNO through various ways and means, had engineered the fall of the government and the most effective was the infamous cross over of PBS’s elected assemblymen, led by Lajim Ukin, to UMNO. PBS had enacted a bill in the state legislative assembly stating that any elected assemblyman who resigned from his party and cross over to another political party would automatically vacate his seat for a By-election. This was conveniently overturned by the BN government through their famous, “freedom of association decision by the Court”. Now, BN, and most of all UMNO, are figuratively sweating in their pants as strong indications are that a large number of their Members of Parliament would be resigning to join the opposition front for the creation of a new government in our country. Any change in our Federal government could bring positive results to the country, most of all to us Sabahans, as it could be the long awaited moment to bring an end to the various long standing issues that had bogged our once wealthy and peaceful state of which various suggestions had been raised by leaders in their campaigns in the recent general elections. I specially hold dear to certain issues raised by Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s candidates, especially Kapayan candidate Datuk Chau Chin Tang who had vociferously stressed on the need for Sabah to be allotted with a bigger share of its petroleum revenue. I hope that the state government would now garner sufficient courage to raise this issue with the Federal government as indications are that the timing is most conducive to seek a solution to this long standing mockery of Sabah’s resources. Perhaps the state government, led by UMNO, may not be bothered to raise the issue as they are themselves benefiting from whatever gains their Federal leadership contrive from our Petroleum resources, but component parties, especially UPKO, SAPP and PBS should sit together as this had been the core struggle that they had long portrayed. Sabah used to be very rich but we are now considered a pauper state where every sen of government funds for the improvements of our state had to be begged from Kuala Lumpur. This is a fact and I beg to be corrected if I am wrong. The other issue that ought to be pursued now is the return of some of our rights that had been conceded to the Federal government by leaders who had been over zealous in their efforts to ‘apple polish, the mighty powers in Kuala Lumpur. By state rights, I mean the re-introduction of the use of passports for West Malaysians and even Sarawakians to enter Sabah as this ruling is still applicable in Sarawak. Sarawak is far richer than Sabah at this point in time and it would be pertinent to view the reintroduction of he passport ruling in our state so that not every Tom, Dick and Harry, most of all those with evil intents, from the peninsular can freely enter Sabah to perpetuate whatever vices they feel necessary to raise their standard of living. The passport ruling was perhaps most beneficial for Sabahans in so far as issues of peace was concerned and it is therefore appropriate that this legitimate right should be resolved. The appointment of qualified Sabahans for top federal posts in government departments and agencies in Sabah is another issue that should also be vigorously pursued by our state leaders as this could inevitably lead to a solution to the long outstanding illegal immigrants (PTI) problem here. I really concur with what Datuk Chau Chin Tang had expressed during his political campaigns and it is sad that he had to lose in Kapayan as he would have been the force for BN to contend in the legislative assembly sitting. He could have helped to shape up the policies of our state government for the betterment of the people. We really need a strong voice to bring back the rights of Sabahans and it is hoped that the Huguan Siou , Datuk Pairin Kitingan, will have the guts of his brother Datuk Dr. Jeffrey to really bring to fruition the hopes and aspirations of the people of Sabah. Pairin should not just gloat over his victory, his subsequent re-employment as Deputy Chief Minister and also the appointment of his deputy Datuk Dr. Maximus to hold a ministerial post in Kuala Lumpur, as had been published in the media, but he should now go down and really fulfill his obligations by ensuring that all the villages in his constituency are provided with treated water, electricity and other necessities. Pairin should also ensure that the really hard core poor are benefited through programs that are drawn up by his ministry and not just to assure Kuala Lumpur that his elected MP’s will not defect to the opposition. He should, by right, sit back, analyze the current scenario and ascertain if he could positively contribute to the progress of his people via the current BN government or through an alternative government that could spell better returns for the people of Sabah, most of all his race and religion. Pairin must also bring an end to the long awaited land problems faced by Sabahans, especially those hard core poor people who had their dwellings burnt by the relevant authorities simply because they ventured into forest reserves due to scarcity of lands or through dubious procedures where plots of lands that they had applied for had been conveniently replaced by other big time applicants. For the time being, it would be very interesting to sit back and observe how BN, especially UMNO will stem the tide of political awakenings within the country and consolidate the power that they are desperately clinging on. Maybe UMNO can even reflect and rue over their decision in scrapping the ‘anti hopping’ rule that had been rightfully emplaced by PBS during their tenure of office as that provision would have safeguarded the position of every current BN Members of Parliament in their troubled time. Panglima Gantang.
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I guess they already conveniently forgotten that!
