Rakam (second left) handing over his application to join Warisan to Shafie.
KOTA KINABALU: Rakam Sijim, who joined Parti Warisan after quitting Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), said a change of government administration was necessary to put the country and state back on track.
The former division chief, who left PBS with several divisional and youth movement committee members, noted that the situation was beyond comprehension that change could not be effected through the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.
“The whole system has to be revamped and this could only be done from outside.
“That was why we quit PBS to save Sabah,” he said when speaking at a ‘Forum: Why Warisan?” organised by Warisan vice president Junz Wong, at a hotel in Lintas Plaza here on December 23, attended by about 150 people.
Rakam said PBS had been trying to be consistent in its struggle for Sabah but its voice had been suppressed and less effective within the BN coalition.
For example PBS had been vocal on the illegal immigrants issue for decades, but until
today no action was in sight though the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report on this issue had been released on December 3, 2015.
Rakam said we had to continue the fight for Sabah rights as agreed during the formation of Malaysia in 1963, from outside BN.
“Sabah rights, as provided by the Malaysia Agreement 1963, Inter-Governmental Committee Report (IGC), the Sabah State Constitution, and other related documents such as the 20-Point Agreement and the Cobbold Commission Report had to be reinstated, and this is what Warisan will do when it comes into power,” he stressed.
When commenting on Rakam’s resignation from PBS recently, PBS secretary-general Datuk Johnny Mositun had said that “Rakam himself was very vocal about these issues (the fight ‘Sabah for Sabahans’ and the call for reinstatement of Sabah rights) when he was in PBS”. Rakam explained that Sabah and Sabahans had been short-changed by Putrajaya for too long.
On issues raised, he said the prime minister used to say that he was willing to listen and discuss which would normaly end merely with the formation of committees and no solution would be forthcoming.
The worst scenario would be, issues or problems raised would normaly be brushed off as slander without giving any proper explanations and answers, he added.
Rakam noted that the increase in the cost of living faced by the people and the depreciation of the ringgit were real and the people were bearing the burden and misery.
“We have to stop all these. We Sabahans should not allow ourselves to be continuously divided and mentally colonised by BN leaders or Malayans.
“We should decide the future of our generation on our own, we should hold the destiny of our beloved Sabah in our hands,” he stressed.
Talking about why he joined Warisan, Rakam said the party was the best vehicle to continue their struggle in line with the aspirations of Sabahans at large.
Rakam said Warisan was well accepted by the people from all walks of life, a multi-racial party, party for Sabahans, led by a good combination of leaders, including young professionals.
“The response from the people now is similar to when PBS was formed in 1985.
“The people have been waiting for this moment for too long and the time has finally come. Warisan is the party for Sabahans,” he added.
Rakam believed more leaders and members from PBS and BN would join Warisan in the near future.
Rakam, who was also a former PBS supreme council member and deputy permanent chairman of the PBS annual delegates conference, handed over his application to join Warisan to party president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal in Beaufort early December.