Stephens and Malaysia

By Joe Fernandez March 12, 2011
as posted HERE http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com.my
Dr Mahathir Mohamad would have done well to address the issues connected with the formation of Malaysia in his memoir and laid the ghosts of the past to rest once and for all.

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad writes in his just-released memoir, "A Doctor in the House", that Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew wanted to be prime minister of Malaysia.

Mahathir may have been speaking the truth for a change although he's not quite right, considering his ethnic Indian origins, for implying that Lee was wrong to harbour such ambitions.
If Lee is to be faulted, it can be more on the grounds that he was "before his time" as he still remains today and for dragging Sabah into the Malaysian Federation.

He could also be faulted for being naïve enough to be taken in by then Malayan prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman. Euphoria, no doubt, made Lee momentarily lose his usual good judgment of situations and character.

It's an open secret in Sabah that Lee told Huguansiou (paramount chief) Donald Fuad Stephens that he (Lee) would be prime minister of Malaysia after Tunku and that Stephens would be made deputy prime minister.

Stephens was ecstati when he heard this and screamed from the aircraft door, upon his return to Kota Kinabalu, "Malaysia bagus" (Malaysia is good) in flashing the "very good" sign. Stephens' about-turn surprised the Dusun who, like the Chinese, were in the
majority and opposed to Malaysia.

His agreement, however, sealed their fate and they went along very much in the manner of the tribal society they were then and are still today. This is the reason that the Kitingan brothers, Pairin and Jeffrey, can still run circles around the Dusun and call the shots in and out of
government.

Patently, it was Tunku who prevailed upon Lee to persuade Stephens to drop his opposition to Malaysia. Stephens was then very much influenced by Orang Kaya Kaya (OKK) Sedomon Gunsanad of Keningau who was strongly opposed to Malaysia.

Stephens' capitulation broke Sedomon who died within three years of Malaysia. It's not known why the Tunku, who was no fan of Lee either, turned to the Singapore leader to work on Stephens.

One reason could be that the Tunku had an even more intense dislike for Stephens, confirmed by the late chief minister Mustapha Harun who told this writer during his last days that the Tunku advised him more than once "not to trust that Serani (Eurasian)." Stephens was partly Australian, besides being Kadazan (urban Dusun), and also had some Japanese blood.

DPM idea - We can only ask Lee how the conversation between him and the Tunku went before
the former accepted the mandate to persuade Stephens.

It would not be surprising, however, to discover that the Tunku himself planted the "Prime
Minister" idea in Lee's head. It would be unthinkable to consider that Lee was so dishonest as to go fishing for Stephens with the "DPM" bait. Singapore could have done well with or without Malaysia and there was no great need to drag Sabah into it.

When a group of Sabahans called on Lee last year at his office, he was asked by one of them about the "great mystery" behind Stephens' capitulation to Malaysia and whether he had "any regrets". Lee reportedly hung his head suddenly in apparent regret for several moments before looking up and giving a non-answer.

His facial expressions and body language told all. It is among many of Lee's regrets, apart from initially rejecting the idea of Formula 1 and casinos, that Sabah found itself locked in Malaysia along with Sarawak when Singapore was ushered out of the new federation by Parliament in
Kuala Lumpur.

Singapore clearly was booted out from the federation for two reasons: to thwart Lee's prime ministerial ambitions, and the MCA's fear of Lee's People's Action Party (PAP) in the battle for Chinese votes in Peninsular Malaysia.

Stephens, not surprisingly, wanted a review of Sabah's participation in Malaysia after Singapore's exit. His reasoning was that it was because of Singapore that Sabah joined Malaysia and now that the island was out of the federation, there was no longer any reason for the Borneo state to continue to be in the federation.

Stephens was referring to the DPM idea, but privately as the old timers tell it, but in public it was pointed out that Sabah and Sarawak opted for Malaysia to facilitate the merger of Chinese Singapore and multiracial Malaya.

The Chinese population across both sides of the causeway was greater than the Malay numbers
and this was to be compensated by the Malay and other native numbers in Sabah and Sarawak through Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur would have none of it and eventually bundled Stephens into exile in Australia as High Commissioner. The ruling elite, by this time, had cast its covetous eyes on the considerable oil and gas resources of Sabah and Sarawak.

It was from Australia that Stephens returned as the Sabah governor, having converted to Islam in the meantime, and went on to head the Berjaya Party which toppled the United Sabah National Organisation (Usno) led by Mustapha in 1976.

It was Mustapha who refused to sign away 95% of the oil and gas revenue to the federal coffers.
Oil royalty Stephens, curiously, refused to sign as well like Mustapha, and held out in Labuan like his predecessor for a higher percentage of at least 20%.

Stephens' tragic death in an air crash, on the way back from Labuan, settled the oil royalty issue in favour of the federal government and Petronas. His successor, Harris Salleh, signed away the oil revenues witnessed by the new Huguansiou Joseph Pairin Kitingan.

The rest is history.

Stephens did not know what's known today, that is, the Malaysian Federation ceased to exist after Singapore's exit. Amendments to the Federal Constitution now refer to "Federation" as the entity that existed in 1957.

This means that Sabah and Sarawak, since 1965, ceased to be equal partners of Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia) in the federation. The federation that exists today, in short, is the Federation of Malaya masquerading as the Federation of Malaysia.

Sabah and Sarawak are just two of the 13 states and three federal territories in "Malaya" (now Malaysia).

This explains the reason for the federal government being in non-compliance of the 1963 Malaysia Agreement and for the Borneo states losing their promised autonomy in the Federation of Malaysia.

Mahathir would have done well to address these issues in his memoir and laid the ghosts of the past to rest once and for all.

Lee has been a failure as well on this score since he never mentioned the idea of being prime minister of Malaysia. This has been one big disappointment for both Sabah and Sarawak.

Mahathir's disclosure on the idea of Lee being prime minister calls for an appropriate response from the latter.

Self-proclaimed 'Sultan Akjan a fraud'

An ageing citizen of Filipino descent has dismissed Akjan's claim to royalty.

By Michael Kaung HERE htt[p://freemalaysiatoday.com.my

KOTA KINABALU: An 82-year-old man of Filipino descent has accused local businessman Mohd Akjan Ali Mohammad of fraud for claiming to be a direct descendent of the Sultan of Sulu.

Wan Mohammad Undas, whose daughter Wan Limbisah lodged a police report on the matter on Saturday, said Akjan is not a relative of any of the sultans of Sulu. He also accused Akjan, an Umno member, of having come to Sabah from the Philippines decades ago although he allegedly has a MyKad stating that he was born in Sabah.

"Akjan is only an ordinary Filipino man. He was employed as a car washer when he first come to Sabah decades ago.

"He mingled with the late (Sabah chief minister) Datu Mustapha (Harun) to gain popularity among the local politicians," said Wan Mohammad.

Wan Mohammad, who claimed that his great grandfather originated from the Philippines, said he came to know about Akjan's background from Sharif Osman Abu Bakar, Sultan Mohammad Yakub Sultan Alimudin and Sultan Jamalulul Kiram, when the trio went to the former's house during a recent tour of Sabah.

"They do not recognise Akjan as a relative of any of the sultans of Sulu," said Wan Mohammad.

Wan Mohammad said that he had come forward because he felt it was unfair to other Filipino refugees who migrated to Sabah during Ferdinand Marcos regime and who may be drawn into recognising Akjan as the sultan of Sulu.

"If Akjan can claim himself as a descendant of the sultan of Sulu, it is not impossible other Filipinos who are now Malaysian citizens to also claim
themselves as sultan of Sulu," added Wan Limbisah.

Wan Limbisah lodged the police report a week after Akjan and a self-styled "interim government" of Sulu claimed he is the sultan of Sulu.

"His action will mislead the Sulu community in Sabah including the local people," said Wan Limbisah.

She added that if Akjan wanted to claim the throne of the sultanate of Sulu, he should have returned to the Philippines and held his coronation there.

Wan Limbisah urged the relevant authorities to take appropriate action against Akjan, a former ISA detainee who is alleged to have been involved in distributing Malaysian identity cards to his countrymen and other foreign nationals.

I am back!!!

Kong Hee Fatt Choi to all readers/visitors

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Musa to be next Sabah's Head of State?

Crowded race for next head of state post
As published HERE http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/

By Michael Kaung
KOTA KINABALU: The race to become Sabah's next Yang Di-Pertua Negri (head of state) is on and jostling to be the next resident of the Istana on Signal Hill is an unprecedented number of senior politicians.
After enduring years of the cut and thrust of state politics each of these politicians are hoping to wind up their days in absolute comfort in the Istana which overlooks the city.
Chief Minister Musa Aman, 59, Deputy Chief Minister Yahya Hussein and Parliament Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia are among the top three contenders for the post with the impending retirement of Tun Ahmadshah Abdullah, whose term comes to an end on Jan 1, 2011.
The other contenders
Another in the running is Yahya, the minister of agriculture and food industry.
"Yahya has climbed as high as he can in government. He is unlikely to become the chief minister. He only managed to get picked (in the 2008 general election) at the last minute after some table thumping.
"He knows his chances of being nominated in the next election are slim. He's going on 60 now. He will be more than happy to settle for the head of state post which comes with prestige and wealth… he can look at being head of state for two terms… in effect 10 years.
"That will be a great way to retire… get the highest award in the country and rub shoulders with the royalty," said the observer.
Yahya's candidacy, however, is hampered by the fact that he is a state assemblyman and his resignation and elevation to the head of state post would force a by-election.
Those in the know are also speaking of him being the next Speaker of the state assembly.
"Who's next (for the head of state post)?… Pandikar. He is also about the same age (57) as Yahya. He has been lobbying very hard for the post. He's had a bypass and is feeling the pressures of continuing as Speaker.
"At one function he even said that because of his name (Pandikar means warrior), he deserves a Tunship. During the recent investiture ceremony at the Istana, word went around that he is among the frontrunners for the post," the source said.
Current State Assembly Speaker Juhar Mahiruddin is also a contender as he is among the least controversial of the frontrunners.
Payback time
Other contenders are former Finance Ministry permanent secretary Yusof Kassim.
Musa owes him for favours done. He gave Yusof two extensions when he retired and word has it that Musa nominated him for the post.
"Mayor Iliyas Ibrahim is also a contender. He's been mayor for two terms already and should be about to step down. Ilias, who's around 60, is a childhood friend of Musa," said the observer.
Also in the running is former deputy president of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) AK Aliuddin, 66, the former member of Parliament for Kimanis.
His name was reportedly put forward by Musa's younger brother, Foreign Minister Anifah as a "thank you gesture" for his contribution to Anifah's victory in the last general election.
Apart from the seven, there could be another surprise candidate for the top post who has the blessings of Kuala Lumpur

By-election in Sabah

　
KOTA KINABALU: Batu Sapi Member of Parliament Edmund Chong, 54, was killed in a
road accident Saturday (Oct 9, 2010). He was reportedly riding a high-powered
motorcycle along Jalan Coastal, Tanjung Aru, at 11.40am on a highway in the city
when he crashed into an oncoming car.
Chong, who is a consultant engineer by profession, leaves a wife, Linda Tsen
Thau Lin, 54, and four children -- three daughters and a son, aged between 13
and 23. Two of his children are studying abroad.

He was the treasurer-general of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) and the party's
Elopura division head. He is a consultant engineer by profession.

Chong, who was born in Sandakan, became an MP after winning the parliamentary
seat of Batu Sapi uncontested in the 2004 general election.

Meanwhile, Kota Kinabalu police chief ACP Ahmad Sofi Zakaria said Chong's body
was taken the to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, according to a Bernama report.

"We are investigating. Preliminary investigation revealed a dent on the right
side of the Mercedes (car) due to a collision," he said when contacted.

Ahmad Sofi said the driver of the car was slightly injured.'A committed leader'
Putatan MP Marcus Mojigoh said he and Chong were to have travelled together
tomorrow to Kuala Lumpur to attend the Dewan Rakyat session beginning Monday.

Chong was returning to his house in Taman Likas Jaya from the Kota Kinabalu
International Airport after buying his flight ticket when the accident happened,
he told reporters at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

"I was told he went to the airport to get his ticket. We were supposed to leave
for KL tomorrow together. I believe he wanted to stay at the Legend Hotel where
I am also going to put up.

"I did not think this will happen. I had advised him to be careful (when riding
the motorcycle). We have all lost a friend and will miss him," said Marcus, who
was almost in tears.

Marcus, who is the treasurer-general of Upko (United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun
Murut Organisation), said Chong was a collector of motorcycles. "It was his
hobby. He has got a few motorbikes," he said.

Sabah Resource Development and Information Technology Minister Yee Moh Chai, who
is from the PBS, said Chong's death was felt not only by the family but also by
the people of Batu Sapi.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Sandakan MP Liew Vui
Keong said Chong was well respected by the people of Batu Sapi and Sandakan.

"He also carried out his work efficiently as chairman of the Commercial Vehicle
Licensing Board (LPKP) Sabah, which comes under my purview in the Prime
Minister's Department.

"It is a great loss to Sandakan, to Sabah and to the nation. At this moment, my
thoughts are with his wife and the family who, I pray, will find strength and
solace to carry on at this very difficult time of theirs," he said.

A tragic loss

PBS deputy president Maximus Ongkili described Chong as a principled, dignified
politician.

He said Chong was once tempted with "millions of ringgit" to cross over to
another party but declined the offer.

Ongkili said Chong was one of the key PBS assemblymen who provided unfailing
support and stability for the reinvention of the party during the post-1994 era.

"It's a tragic loss for the PBS, the Barisan Nasional and Sabah. In executing
his duties as an elected representative, he spoke with boldness and sincerity
regarding the rights and needs of his constituents.

"Sometimes, his words were not palatable to some friends and colleagues but he
always meant well. He was a great personal friend, although at times we had to
agree to disagree on certain issues in politics," he said.

Ongkili said Chong would be deeply missed by his loving family, comrades in the
PBS and colleagues in Parliament.

Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman described Chong's death as a great loss for the
people and state of Sabah.

"He was a dedicated and committed leader in discharging his responsibilities as
the Member of Parliament for Batu Sapi," he told reporters when approached at
Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Musa, who is the State Barisan Nasional chairman, said he and his family
extended condolences to Chong's family and PBS.

PBS president Joseph Pairin Kitingan, who was also at the hospital, said: "It's
very sad for the state and the country, especially PBS. He was my close friend."

"It is something which I never thought would happen. I pray all the time that
nothing like this would happen.

"Chong, as an MP and the party's treasurer-general, had always been concerned
about the future of the country and the state," he said, adding that they last
met during the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) open day here on
Thursday.

Ex-CM: Politics a big business in Malaysia

Former Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Harris Mohd Sallah (1976-1985) said Malaysians entering politics are not out to serve the people but use it as an avenue to enriching themselves with some of them making lots of money within a span of few years.

"Their business is not in the production of goods and adding economic value but act as a-go-betweens and enriching themselves as well as some people in power," he told Mary Chin, a journalist with Daily Express, Sabah's oldest and independent newspaper established in 1963.

Harris, who headed the Parti Berjaya Government until toppled by Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan's Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) in 1985, asserted that after enriching themselves the politicians migrate to other countries.

He said in tha case of Sabah, there were forces at wortk that `are not bothered and do not care whatever happenes to Sabah and Sabahans.

Harris was commenting on views by economist Tan Sri Sr Ramon Navaratnam telecasted over ASTRO last week.

If SAPP forms the next State Government

It will implement land reforms. The party president Datuk Yong Teck Lee said agricultrual land will only be given to locals and not leased out to private companies from Peninsula Malaysia.
A committee on this matter will be headed by Sepanggar MP Datuk Eric Majimbun.
SAPP is contesting more than 40 of the 60 state seats in the next general eleCtions and is confident of winning to form the State Government to topple tne current BN Government.

Ex-Sipitang DO Daim dies

Mathurin Daim, former District Officer of Sipitang, former member of the United National Kadazan Organization (UNKO), former secretary to Chief Minister Peter Lo and a former USNO man has today left us all to return to his Creator.

The North Borneo Herald offers its deepest condolences to all his family members. It is hoped that his vision to see the creation of the Borneo National Party (BNP) will one day be realized.

His remains will be buried at the Limbahau Catholic Cemetery in Papar on Friday
at 1pm.This story from HERE http://northborneoherald.blogspot.com/

M'sia in the Club of Doom says ex-Chief Minister Harris

By Joe Fernandez as posted on Sept 15, 2010 at http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/

KOTA KINABALU: Former Sabah chief minister Harris Salleh sees Malaysia's existing political and administrative system as heading towards a "failed state status" within the next 20 to 30 years. He described these states as the "Club of Doom".

However, he rules out the system in Malaysia changing from within or on its own as "it's so entrenched that it's difficult, if not impossible (for it), to change".

"It's on public record that many leaders who have reportedly committed wrongdoings are being elected again and again," said Harris. "These wrongdoings have been widely reported in the media."

Harris' remarks were delivered in a prepared pre-Aidilfitri talk on leadership to students, in a run-up to Malaysia Day tomorrow, at Universiti Institut Teknologi Mara (UiTM) here. His talk just became available to the media.

"The main contributing factor is that the voters are not politically and economically independent," said Harris. "The voters depend for their livelihood on political patronage."

Race and religion, he said, played the most important part in selecting a leader.

Reiterating the central theme in his talk that the present system was dated, he opined that the country had the largest number of restrictive laws and policies, quite a number exceedingly harsh, "and not conducive for the citizens to move forward".

Malaysia also had the largest number of "this and that", he pointed out.

As examples, he cited the number of civil servants and the number of agencies per population and the most number of public holidays – 48 – in the world.

"Surely, all these are not conducive for the citizens to move forward."

'Possible to change for the better'

Harris expressed confidence, without getting into any specifics, that it is still possible for the country to change for the better, but only once the voters are politically and economically independent.

"Once this is attained, a responsible leader will emerge and lead the country," he said.

"Then there will be good laws and policies."

Harris, who dropped out from school after Year Six, described a policy as an extension of the law and a guideline for the implementation (resolution) of a particular issue "and should be the best for any particular issue and for the people".

He used three examples from his Berjaya administration (1976-1985) to explain what good policies are in a government: giving all schoolchildren free uniforms, shoes, books pencils and a packet of milk a day; giving and alienating 15 acres of land each to every landless Sabahan; and increasing the payment of dividends from Yayasan Sabah (Sabah Foundation) from RM100 to RM200 per annum.

"These policies helped almost everyone but they were abolished or revoked by
successive governments," said Harris.

"Thus the schoolchildren, the landless and Sabahans have been deprived."

(The school milk programme in Sabah has been reinstated but only three times a
week and confined to Years One to Three.)

Seething with quiet anger, Harris charged that 90% of the 906,330 acres reserved in 74 locations throughout Sabah for 60,000 people in 1983 were not handed over by Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), which replaced Berjaya in 1985.

Instead, he alleged the lands earmarked by his administration were given away by PBS to
local companies which promptly sold them (for a quick profit) to companies based in Peninsular Malaysia.

Denying that he was making up stories, Harris said that Joseph Kurup -- who left PBS in 1994 to form Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah -- revealed all the land details in 2003 amidst allegations that Sabah was the poorest state in Malaysia.

Harris attributed the poverty in the state to, among others, the 60,000 landless growing to nearly 200,000 over the last 27 years.

"The revocation of Berjaya's land policies by the succeeding PBS administration has made Sabah the poorest state in Malaysia over the last 20 years," said

Harris. "Sabah is an agricultural state and an overwhelming number depend on the land for their survival."

'Good laws revoked by government'

Sabah's descent into poverty from being the second richest in Malaysia, said Harris, proves that there's no guarantee that laws and policies made by responsible leaders will be honoured by their successors or successor governments.

"Unfortunately, irresponsible successive leaders and governments have deemed it fit to abolish and revoke important policies for the people."

The former chief minister urged "the eminent professors and lecturers" of UiTM to research the poverty of Sabah and relate it to the successive state governments since independence and their various laws and policies.

Harris expressed no surprise that "even good laws and policies" are often revoked by government leaders.

"Politics has become big business in Malaysia," he explained. "People go into politics not to serve the country but to use it as an avenue to enrich themselves."

The rest of Harris' talk on Malaysia was devoted to Sabah, which he described as an example of what's going wrong elsewhere in the country.

He urged Sabahans and Malaysians to stand up for the truth and "call a spade a spade", citing a saying: "All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."

He observed that many people at all levels including students, just appear to be condoning – "by their inaction" -- whatever (wrong) is happening around them.

He warned that there will be nothing left for Sabahans within the next 20 to
years except the crumbs and leftovers "if nothing is done today to put things
right". "Leaders, after skimming the wealth of the state within a short time,
migrate to other countries," said Harris.

"With their political patronage and connections, some of the people have managed to make a lot of money within a few years."

There are forces at work who are not bothered what happens to Sabah and Sabahans, added Harris. "Their business is not in the production of goods and adding economic value but to act as go-betweens and enrich themselves and others in power."

This state of affairs, said Harris, "cannot and should not be allowed to go on".

The talks now is.....

Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Deputy President Datuk Eric Majimbun (right) will be contesting the State seat of Inanam, taking on incumbent Assemblyman Johnny Goh Chin Lok of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), in the next general election (PRU13).

Eric, a former District Chief and ex-Chief Judge of the Kota Kinabalu Native Court, is Sepanggar Member of Parliament. He won the seat in the last general election, at that time, SAPP was still a component member of the Barisan Nasional Government.

The sitting District Chief of Kota Kinabalu OKK William Majimbun (left), a young brother of Eric, is tipped to be proposed by PBS to contest for Barisan Nasional for the Sepanggar MP seat. William is a PBS supreme council member.

Umno is also eying to contest the seat and the likely candidate will be the Sepanggar BN chairman Jumat Idris.

And yet another Barisan Nasional component party member UPKO is also said to be proposing one of its supreme council member to contest for the seat. Whoever the Barisan candidate will be, he of she will have to face SAPP president Datuk Yong Teck Lee. Yong, a former Chief Minister, was Gaya MP and one time the Assemblyman for Likas.

Latest talk....
A friend called me saying that Datuk Yong might contest the Likas seat while incumbent Assemblyman Datuk Liew Teck Chan will go for Sepanggar MP seat.

Sabah belongs to Sabahans

As published in http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com

on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:21

It will be a fatal mistake if opposition politicians from the peninsula ride roughshod over the sensitivities of the people of Sabah.

It is well known that the land below the wind (now the land of illegals) has long been seething with anger at the federal masters.

Rich in natural resources, bigger than the peninsula, they should be enjoying the fruits of their natural wealth and holding the future in their hands. Instead, fate was unkind to them and today
they live under the yoke of "alien" rule.

For a brief spell, they had power but because of the machination of a devious dominant peninsular party, they lost their high seat. Though their politically emasculated Huguan Siou (paramount leader) now sits at the same table with the hated "conquerors", life there does
not seem to change for the better.

In PKR the people have found another promising platform to advance their cause. The party is open to all races and in Sabah it has made quite an impact. Its standard-bearer is a fighter for justice and fair play though his future is nebulous.

By forging a link with one of the favourite sons of Sabah, the way ahead looks clear and bright. The partnership seems solid and PKR appears to have hit off well with the crowd. But to their dismay, PKR is behaving more like its peninsular foe. It wanted to impose its own brand of leadership on its partners.

In short, it wanted peninsular politicians to run the show in Sabah. It met with stiff opposition.

Though the error was rectified with Sabah's favourite son in control of his State, the ceasefire did not last long. It was bound to happen: some disgruntled members got together to form a breakway party and fight their own battle.

They nearly got away with it if not for the peace deal reached with PKR. But dirty politics intervened. Imperiously, PKR came down hard on the rebels with the recommendation that they be suspended. It acted tough and rough.

The damage wasdone and another blunder committed. PKR had acted in a manner that reminds its Sabah brothers of the treacherous peninsular politics.

Even if the recommended suspension is not acted upon, the undercurrent of distrust will persist. The dissidents have made their point and Sabahans, inside and outside the political arena, have taken note of the haughty yet fragile opposition party from the peninsula.

If the rebels are shown the door in a display of extreme petulance, it would not sound the death knell for Sabahans.

It would instead strengthen their resolve. If the PKR supremo in a magnanimous gesture brings them back to the fold, it would do nothing to calm the troubled waters. Whichever way the story is played out, the stark reality is that Sabahans, irrespective of their political leanings, simply do not want peninsular leaders talking down to them.

PKR must know that it cannot dictate terms to its Sabah partners. Dissidents, present and future, will rise up to challenge the party of justice. They are not acting alone. Behind them are the people, now living in misery, who are keen to support any "parti that cinta Sabah".

They are raring to toss outsiders, current and impending, into the sea. PKR must not misread the political undercurrents in Sabah, or worse still, underestimate the intelligence of the people. Political awareness there is intense.

Hit a Sabahan politician and you take on an army behind him.

Sabah does not need to hold PKR hands to walk down the corridors of power when the current puppets are thrown out of office. The destiny of the state lies in its own hand. Peninsular style of politics is not its cup of tea. Sabah is not a wild cowboy country that must be tamed by the "western" gunslingers.

There are sensible, intelligent, upright local-born leaders who can lead the state to
fairer climes, calmer seas, clearer future.

Let Sabah be Sabah.

LDP invited to join opposition SAPP

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) has today invited Liberal Democratic Sabah (LDP) deputy president Chin Su Phin and those who have lost confidence in the Barisan Nasional leadership to join the opposition in the fight for change in Sabah.

Supreme council member David Chong Ket Sui said he sympathised with Chin and others who he said seem to be getting nowhere under the current Sabah BN leadership.

He said Chin should consider joining SAPP in its quest for state autonomy and more rights for Malaysians in the state.

"Since I am heading SAPP Api-Api constituency liaison committee (CLC) and Chin is also in Api-Api, I invite him to join us and work together to topple the BN..." he told FMT in Kota Kinabalu.

Chong said SAPP planned to contest in all the seats in the next general election, adding that "we hope anyone of the BN component parties will work withus to form the new government and ensure the return of our state autonomy".

"Today, we see that all BN parties can no longer work together and are disunited, so why don't they join SAPP to fight for state development and interest of the people," he said here today.

"I am sincere in making this call. The election is going to be held soon and more than half of the people feel that they have to change the governmentbecause they say the BN government cannot help them get development," he said.

Chong said SAPP under the leadership of former chief minister Yong Teck Lee would be the best choice because it is a non-racial party, which cares for all Malaysians irrespective of race, religion and background.

"I sympathise with Chin and other component leaders who cannot get what they want for the people as they are always being shut out by the BN leadership.

"Every day we can see them arguing and being scolded... is this helping the people?" he asked.

"If it was me, I would have left (the BN) in 24 hours. Those who still want to remain in BN are only fighting for their selves.

"In BN, some party presidents want to meet the prime minister and chief minister only because they want to protect their positions in the government," he said.

SAPP has two state and two parliamentary seats and was a BN component party until two years ago when it ditched the ruling coalition government to become the opposition.

SAPP has made it clear that while it would not be joining the Peninsula-based opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat, there is room for discussion because the party main aims is to take over the state government and reclaim the autonomous power it once had in the 1970s.

LDP link plot to oust Musa Aman

Sabah Umno deputy chief Datuk Salleh Tun Said disclosed that certain leaders of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) are in cohoots with certain quarters to topple Sabah Barisan Nasional chairman cum Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman.

He warned that Sabah BN would not be intimidated by any attempt to hold the coalition at ransom by mounting a veiled threat on its Chairman-cum-Chief Minister.

"We are prepared to face the worst challenge," he said in a statement in ota Kinabalu on Saturday.

Salleh, a former Chief Minister, also questioned the rationale behind LDP Deputy President Datuk Chin Su Phin's outrage on Tuesday, claiming that it was part of an ongoing plot to oust Musa.

He was also convinced that there were "hidden hands" behind it.
"We believe there are people behind it and we know what they are up to, but we in Sabah BN will not allow them to achieve their selfish agenda by mounting a personal attack on Musa.

"I have reliably learnt that certain LDP leaders are in cahoots with certain quarters to topple Musa, and that they even plan to request Prime Minister-cum-BN Chairman Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to have Musa removed," he said.

However, Salleh believed not all LDP leaders concurred with Chin's statement that LDP could no longer work with Musa.

In a shocking announcement, Chin was quoted as saying that the party could no longer work with Musa but would continue to support and work together with Umno in the ruling coalition, and expressed full support for the Prime Minister and his 1Malaysia vision.

"We believe the majority of LDP leaders are rational and wise enough to differentiate what is right and what is not, especially when the issues raised by Chin concerned other people's personal interest.

"It would be a different case if the issues raised were of public interest," Salleh said.

As such, he advised LDP leaders not to be easily manipulated by others for their selfish agenda. Salleh is also confident that all other State BN component parties will continue to rally behind Musa, saying the latter had proven his leadership in steering the State since he became Chief Minister in 2003.

My Say:

Coming from a respected leader, what Salleh said could be true and he is fully aware of who are the `certain quarters' working hand-in-hand with the LDP leaders. Sooner of latter, this all will be made public knowlegde.

It will be no surprise if this `certain quarters' turned out to be `certain Sabah Umno leaders'.

Sarawak general elections around the corner

New party to join Swak's political fray

By Roselind Jarrow of http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com

KUCHING: A new political entity, Parti Ekonomi Rakyat Sarawak Bersatu (PERSB), has announced that it will be contesting in the coming Sarawak state election. In introducing the PERSB’s pro-tem committee to the media, Native Land Owners Association Sarawak (Tahabas) chairman Michael Jok said although the party is yet to be registered it already has big plans for the future of Sarawakians.

He said PERSB will contest in 71 seats in the coming state election and 31 parliamentary seats in the general election.

“Our candidates are ready to contest as PERSB members or as United Independents,” he added.

Jok said PERSB applied to register the party on Jan 21 this year but the Registrar of Societies Sarawak returned the forms after disapproving its name.

“We resubmited the application on April 20 and we called ourselves Parti Ekonomi Rakyat Sarawak Bersatu. We urge the ROS to approve our application without further delay.

“Failure to do so will be a breach of the principles of democracy, respect and rights of the people of Sarawak to determine their own future leadership through the election process,” he said.

Economic might

PERSB is closely linked to the Project Ekonomi Rakyat Sarawak or Pers.

According to Pers website (www.pers.com.my) a shared-plantation scheme involving the cultivation of the Jatropha Curcas plant has enabled hundreds of thousands of Sarawakians to develop a sustainable income.

Jok said some 200,000 planters and workers are involved in the planting of the jatropha, and the projects were planned based on five years short-term projections and 30 years long term.

He said that financial allocations for the implementation of all programmes under the Pers would be channelled through Koperasi Ekonomi Rakyat Sarawak Berhad.

Jok said two press mill plants have been set up in Sri Aman and Sibu and nine more plants would be built to process the produce.

KERSB would also market crops, livestock, handcrafts and commodities produced by the people such as rice, cassava, coffee, pepper, fish, chicken, goats, weaving products, beads and so forth.

Jok said money from the profits and dividends would be used to raise the earning power of the people, to finance the party, as well as the candidates.

He added that elected representatives of PERSB however would not be allowed to engage in personal businesses except to carry out the Pers programmes.

Unhappy PBB members

Meanwhile, a number of PERSB protem committee members, who were former grassroots leaders of Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB), said they left their previous party due to unhappiness.

Two of them, David Mathew and Salleh Mahadi, who is the pro-tem president of PERSB, have been with PBB for more than 30 years. Mathew had been with Lawas PBB whereas Salleh was with the Dalat division.

Salleh said: “I left PBB because I am not happy with the party especially when I notice that PBB leaders are neglecting the interests of the grassroots and ordinary members. They are more concerned with business of their own family members and cronies.”