DAP’s challenge another political gimmick: PBS

KOTA KINABALU: The challenge by the DAP for Kadamaian assemblyman Herbert Timbon Lagadan to confirm with PBS president Datuk Seri Panglima Joseph Pairin Kitingan whether the Kadazandusuns (KDM) have a chance to hold the post of chief minister again is a political gimmick aimed at creating inter-ethnic discord for selfish ends, said PBS information chief Datuk Johnny Mositun.

“On one hand the DAP has been telling all and sundry about its ‘Malaysian Malaysia’ concept, but here in Sabah the DAP wants to incite the KDM to be suspicious of their fellow Sabahans of different ethnic origins,” Mositun said.

He was responding to the challenge thrown at Lagadan by DAP Sabah organizing chairman Jeffrey Kumin who had also reiterated Sabah DAP vice-chairman Edward Ewol Mujie’s contention that the number of hardcore poor in the KDM community had increased.

Mositun said it was nothing new for the DAP to hurl unsubstantiated charges at the Barisan Nasional (BN) as it was a party that had little regard for the people’s intelligence and ability to discern truth from falsehood.

Mositun said Sabah was the only state in Malaysia that had seen the Chief Minister’s post being held by Muslim Bumiputera, non-Muslim Bumiputera and Chinese at different times in its political history.

“That itself is proof that Sabahans are very racially tolerant and not chauvinistic like the DAP. What has been the DAP’s stand on calls for a Malay Chief Minister for Penang all this time?” he asked.

Mositun said when the rotation system for the chief ministership of Sabah was scrapped in 2004 and Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman was retained as Chief Minister, Sabahans from all ethnic communities were happy.

“There is no racial or religious discrimination in terms of state administration, education, scholarships, economic and social development programs and assistance. Sabahans have not forgotten the ‘pendulum politics’ of the past that ruined our once fabulously rich state. There’s no way DAP can fool Sabahans into going down that path again,” Mositun said.