Two weeks ago on March 25, 2010 I had announced a meeting of Sabahans in the Klang Valley at the Petaling Jaya Civics Centre on April 18, but this has now been postponed to Sunday May 16 at 2 pm at the KL/Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall because of the Hulu Selangor by-election, whose nomination is April 17 and polling April 25.
The idea of a meeting of Sabahans in Klang Valley is the result of my two recent visits to the Sabah interior together with DAP MPs Hiew King Cheu (Kota Kinabalu), Teo Nie Ching (Serdang), Lim Lip Eng (Segambut) and Jimmy Wong, DAP Sabah state Assemblymen for Sri Tanjong, including Kota Belud, Tuaran, Keningau, Tambunan, Sepanggar, Donggongon and Kampong Inobong in Penampang for first-hand information about the neglect of socio-economic rights and development as well as the frustrations of the people of Sabah.
Wherever we went, we encountered concerns about the plight of Sabahans stranded in the Klang Valley, particularly following media reports early this year of homeless Sabahans who had to scavenge for food from garbage bins outside restaurants in the Klang Valley.
Sabahans back home were shocked that Sabah youths, who had gone to the national capital to seek greener pastures, were roaming the streets and relying on food served by NGOs and on leftovers in dustbins for an additional meal.
The meeting of Sabahans in the Klang Valley on May 16 will not only discuss this issue but also the whole spectrum of frustrations of Sabahans.
The New Economic Model with the main goal of transforming Malaysia into a high-income advanced nation with inclusiveness and sustainability aims to achieve a per capita GNP of US$17,700 (RM57,348) by 2020.
However, under the Sabah Development Economic Corridor Blueprint 2008-2025, the projected GDP per capita for Sabah in 2020 is only RM11,571 – which is more than five times less than the targeted per capita GNP for Malaysia under the NEM.
Coming on top of the scandal of the degradation and deterioration of Sabah from the richest state to the poorest state in the past five decades, it is most shocking and even outrageous that there is a five-fold difference in the targetted per capita income of Sabahans as compared to Malaysias in ten years’ time in 2020.
This issue undoubtedly will be top on the agenda of the meeting of Sabahans in the Klang Valley in Kuala Lumpur on May 16.
During the debate on the 2009 Supplementary Estimates in Parliament on Monday, I had urged the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak to address five “present and urgent issues” to give meaning to the slogans of 1Malaysia and “inclusive growth” and end the marginalization of ordinary Sabahans who had been left out of national development and progress since the formation of Malaysia some five decades ago.
These five priority issues are:
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Satisfactory resolution to the long-standing problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah, causing the Sabah population to multiply from some 400,000 during the formation of Malaysia in 1963 to over three million today. During his visit to Sabah last September, the Prime Minister had promised resolution of the illegal immigrant problem and this seems to have been completely forgotten.
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Eradication of poverty in Sabah. Barisan Nasional had promised to eradicate poverty in 2000 but it is now 2010 and Sabah has the highest poverty rate in the country.
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Massive development of basic infrastructure in Sabah to provide roads, piped water, electricity and broadband to Sabahans.
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Raising the 5% oil royalty payment to Sabah government to 20%.
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Re-opening of the inquiry into the “66” air-crash in Kota Kinabalu on June 6, 1976 which killed Sabah Chief Minister Tun Fuad Stephens and State Ministers, Datuk Salleh Sulong, Datuk Peter Mojuntin and Chong Thien Vun to address the many questions and doubts of Sabahans about the true cause of the Double Six tragedy 34 years ago.
These issues will also be on the agenda of the meeting of Sabahans in the Klang Valley in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, May 16, which is convened by DAP MP for Kota Kinabalu, Hiew King Cheu, assisted and co-ordinated by DAP MPs Teo Nie Ching (Serdang) and Lim Lip Eng (Segambut). Contacts and enquiries can also be made through the following:
- 03-79578022 / [email protected];
- 088-254987 /[email protected]
Remember to remind them that they are equal partners of the federation, and they do not deserve to be in such a situation.
They have every right to demand for 95% oil money to develop Sabah.
The post of PM should be rotated among the three partners, and all the subsequent appointments should be equally rotated between Sbaha and Sarawak for the nxet 50 years.
///Sabahans back home were shocked that Sabah youths, who had gone to the national capital to seek greener pastures, were roaming the streets and relying on food served by NGOs and on leftovers in dustbins for an additional meal./// (Kit)
It is obvious that Sabahans have been kept in the dark by the main stream media in regard to the true status of Sabah. I believe many Sabahans still take for granted that Sabah is doing well and its people are prospering.
In view of such information blanked out, it is imperative that PR distributes a brochure/paper, prior to the 13th GE, to educate the people of Sabah of the true situation in the state.
By the way, here is something very amusing:
///In an unprecedented move, Datuk Seri Najib Razak is taking two independent MPs to the United States next week, while ordering fellow Barisan Nasional (BN) lawmakers to stay behind and ensure all government bills are approved in the current parliamentary sitting./// (The Malaysian Insider)
If I were one of the independent MPs, for sure I would not follow Najib to the United States. The two independent MPs have been made use of by Najib. After they return from the United States, Najib will dump them in a corner.
For some of the independent MPs, it’s their trip of a life-time.
After this let’s hope the voters will retire them permanently.
And also relegate the BN into opposition. Even ManU cannot win all the time!
Sabahans fedup with your petty politic
Hanjin Chengho, when are you going to commit hara-kiri in front of public?
Actually Sabahans are pretty fed up of Umno-BN styled politics..
Reveue from oil-money alone is more than enough to provide every genuine Sabahans with free food, free education, free electricty, free medical, free housing, etc, like what all the sultans enjoy.
So, wake up Sabahans, unite and vote BN/UMNO out, and bury them 6000 feet under-ground.