KUCHING: “Very soon the Sabah government and BN leaders will have no place to hide their faces and may have to migrate to Kuala Lumpur if they do not pull up their socks and start acting as Sabah leaders and looking after Sabah’s rights and interests.”
This was said by Sabah Star chief Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan through a press statement issued in Kota Kinabalu Sabah yesterday.
Jeffrey was responding to Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Adenan Satem’s press conference statements marking his 100 days tenure as chief minister, as well as his live interview on TV1 on Friday night.
Adenan’s predecessor Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud had before stepping down set the benchmark for patriots of Sabah and Sarawak by advising that his successor should ensure Umno and its brand of racially divisive politics be kept out of Sarawak and to vigorously protect the state’s rights as spelled out in the Malaysia Agreement 1963, recalled Jeffrey.
“Adenan’s statements on the autonomy of Sarawak having formed Malaysia and not joining Malaysia, and Sarawak not being equal to the states in the peninsula, the rights to control immigration pursuant to the special rights of Sarawak under the Malaysia Agreement, and the safeguarding of racial and religious harmony in Sarawak from the racial and religious bigots and extremists from the peninsula clearly has put Sabah BN leaders in a bind.
“True to form, Tan Sri Adenan had not only adopted the same patriotism, but had clearly set out his vision unequivocally and in no uncertain terms. Not too bad for being 100 days in helming Sarawak. At the same time, it puts Sabah leaders, who have been helming the state for more than 10 years, to shame.”
It also puts Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak and the federal government in the right spot by stating the obvious that Sarawak is autonomous and formed Malaysia, not join Malaysia.
“One wonders what the federal and Sabah governments will come up with to fool Sabahans this coming Aug 31 celebration. Will it be the 57th anniversary of Malaysia’s independence? Will it be the 57th anniversary of the Federation of Malaya’s independence? Will it be the 51st anniversary of Sabah’s independence?
“What about the 16th September celebrations? Will it be the 51st anniversary of the formation of Malaysia or 51 years of progress in Malaysia for Sabah while being the poorest in Malaysia?”
Jeffrey said some of these leaders, led by the chief minister, were now back-tracking on their stand on the proposed hike on ‘oil royalties’.
“Will Sabah’s rights under the Malaysia Agreement be protected and enforced? Will Sabah seek the return of Sabah’s oil and gas ownership rights? Will Sabah be solving the perennial illegal immigrants and dubious IC holders with voting rights?”
“Will Sabah’s racial and religious harmony be protected? Will Sabah immigration rights be enforced to keep out racial and religious bigots from Malaya? Will Sabahans be allowed to use ‘Allah’ as they have been doing for centuries before Malaysia? Or will Sabah BN leaders be queuing and applying to migrate to Malaya?” Jeffrey posed.