Sabah leaders have lost fighting spirit: Jeffery

MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2008
Sabah leaders have lost fighting spirit: Jeffery


Sabah leaders, especially those in the current Barisan Nasional (BN) government, have lost their fighting spirit for Sabah and are only interested in protecting and pursuing their own selfish interests, charged PKR vice president Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.

Jeffrey, who is also the steering committee chairman, said it was ironic that Sabah, an oil-producing state, a big timber producer and the largest palm oil producer in Malaysia, and with a relatively small population, could also be the poorest state with the highest national poverty rate at 24 per cent.

“How could this happen? It is worse when one considers it in light of the huge development allocations given to Sabah — about RM20 billion in the Ninth Malaysia Plan alone.

“Yes, a rich state has become the poorest state despite the huge development allocation and despite the fact that all the ruling parties are united under the BN umbrella.

“What happened? Where did all the money go? Where are our leaders? “What are they doing?” he said in a statement here yesterday.

Jeffrey said Sabah was swamped with illegal immigrants, many of whom had acquired Malaysian identity cards through dubious means. These foreigners now can decide who governs this country, he said.

“When one or two concerned leaders open their mouths they are condemned and threatened like little children,” he said. “What is the meaning of independence when others make decisions for us and tell us what to do?

“Where is justice when someone who is involved in an alleged crime can claim to be telling the truth by merely swearing in a masjid? “Where is democracy when you are afraid to express yourself openly except to please your master.

“Have our Sabah BN leaders betrayed Sabahans and our struggle for justice? “But then again it may not be fair to blame the leaders totally as they are controlled by the system that controls the government,” he said.

Jeffrey said he admires and respects leaders who have a strong sense of independence and can play the role of observers even within the system.

“These are the leaders with consciences who can differentiate truth from propaganda. “They are aware that political reality is not what is preached by political masters but what they can do to free themselves from the state of denial and arrogance of the dominant parties,” he said.

He urged leaders to take stock of the Sabah situation and take the opportunity to shift their attention from personal pursuits to those of the state, adding that the least they could do was to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate Project IC; restore and implement the 20 Points Agreement; get at least 20 per cent of the oil royalty for Sabah; bargain for seven federal ministers from Sabah; elect their own chief minister; and agree to a master plan to resolve illegal immigration in Sabah.

“If BN fails, it is time for the state leaders to consider the alternative. Then they would be considered Sabah heroes,” he said.javascript:void(0)

POSTED BY MUHAMMAD FIRDAUS ABDULLAH @ANTHONY MARRIUS AT 1:06 PM

Source: http://pemudasabah.blogspot.com/2008/08/sabah-leaders-have-lost-fighting-spirit.html