In the 13th General Election, Pakatan Rakyat had targetted 33 seats from the 3 UMNO-BN “fixed deposit” states of Johor, Sarawak and Sabah. We failed to achieve our targets and won only 14 seats, with Sabah winning the least – 3 parliamentary seats – Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and Penampang.
We were however able to “destroy” the “fixed deposit” moniker for Johor and Sarawak, by increasing our votes received significantly. For Johor, Pakatan Rakyat was able to increase our popular votes by 10.3% to 45%, while for Sarawak, we increased by 8.9% to 37.3%.
However, for Sabah, we were only able to increase our votes by 3.4% to 35.9%.
Hence it is undeniable that Pakatan Rakyat must pull out all stops to increase our electoral support in the state with 26 parliamentary seats (including Labuan).
Sabah should logically be the state most ripe for change given the degree of corruption and mismanagement, the poverty level and the lack of employment opportunities as well as the infiltration of illegal immigrants with the associated social and security problems.
Despite being among the richest state in natural resources, as well as being the richest state per capita income in the early 1970s, Sabah is now the state with the highest poverty rates in the entire country. As late as 2010, 43% of Sabahan households do not have access to clean or treated water while nearly 20% do not have access to electricity.
However despite the marginalisation of Sabahans and the pilferage of the state’s wealth and resources by the Barisan Nasional government, Sabah remains firmly in the hands of UMNO-BN. Pakatan Rakyat should not remain despondent over the GE13 outcome, but instead double or triple up our efforts to penetrate rural Sabah. We should win the hearts of Sabahans by proving our sincerity and commitment to the rural villagers, and demonstrating by deeds that we will not forsake their rights and needs.
There is no better way than to go to the ground to ease the burden of these marginalised villagers living in poverty and destitution. Hence there is no better time to launch “Impian Sabah” to bring “Malaysian Dream Agents” into various Sabah villages to make a real difference to the villagers’ lives.
The choice delivering a gravity-feed water system to Kampung Samaritan Laut located in the Kota Marudu parliamentary constituency is of great significance as it is the seat held by Dr Maximus Ongkili, Deputy President of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) as well as ironically, the Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water.
More critically, Dr Ongkili won Kota Marudu with a majority of only 842 votes after garnering 15,168 votes in a four-cornered fight. Mahap obtained 14,326 votes, STAR candidate Majamis Timbong (2,228 votes) while Yuntau alias Kuntau Kolod (SAPP) only managed 444 votes. If not for the splitting of votes with STAR, Pakatan Rakyat would have won the seat. Hence every effort must be made in these marginal seats so as to ensure that Pakatan Rakyat will win these seats in the next General Election.
Impian Sabah will show Sabahans, and Malaysians throughout the country that the DAP is not just a party that talks, but is a party that will take all necessary actions to improve the livelihood of the people, especially the oppressed. Together with the on-going Impian Sarawak campaign, their success in meeting the urgent needs of the people will go a long way not only towards winning Putrajaya, but to fulfill the Malaysian Dream, a plural society where all her citizens are united as one people, rising above their ethnic, religious, cultural and linguistic differences as the common grounds binding them as one citizenship exceed the differences that divide them because of their ethnic, religious, linguistic and cultural divisions.
Impian Sabah – like Impian Sarawak – is an integral part of DAP’s commitment in pursuit of the Malaysian Dream to create a Malaysia for all Malaysians.
(Media Statement at the launching of the Impian Sabah campaign at DAP Hqrs on Wednesday 27th November 2013 at 11 am)
Sabah (and Sarawak) should really take note of UMNO/BN attitudes towards religion, taxes and the latest, land rights in particular.
In Peninsula, fundamental religious freedom have been taken long time ago, the “Allah” ruling merely setting even new milestone. GST & removing subsidies (except cronies) are long-time bargains with the masses they are taking away even calling those who won’t pay traitors despite proven several major treason act on their part. Now, the latest is eyeing private property rights starting with the MRT projects, KL assessment rates and several other incidents showing they intend to exploit and abuse.
There is no way Sabah & Sarawak will be able to hold-off UMNO/BN hegemony and their accompanying abuse and exploitation that will come with them. Sabah’s religious freedom and racial harmony already lost – even the Allah ruling nearly imposed on them by their machinery on spared with the direct intervention only. Native rights already mortgaged via invasion of foreigners. Its no big leap to also their rights to property and EVEN their identity itself.
Sarawak’s defense from all our problems are temporary. Taib’s long dominance guarantee there is NO successor capable of keeping UMNO out of Sarawak eventually and from there Sarawkian fate will fall faster than Sabah. And even if UMNO is kept out of Sarawak for a short time longer in name, it won’t be in fact MUCH MUCH faster. From that – their property rights and identity will all be robbed just like they have robbed non-UMNO peninsula citizens one thing at a time – our property entitlement just merely a long series of their robbery.
Mr Lim, I personally think that DAP should go in initially as an NGO, like Operation Raleigh guys etc. First capture the hearts of the rural Sabahans, slowly educate them about their rights, how the current govt has ruined the country etc. Then when election come, all these “NGO” people can turn into DAP supporters and openly seek the Sabah people’s support. If you go in as DAP directly, you may face many problem with the local govt, and even your projects can be sabotaged.
Many frogs now are jumping in Sabah. Instead of crok!crok!crok! sound, they are making kah-ching!!, kah-ching sound. You know, like the cash register machine.
Their rights are selling with price tags
So, DAP/PKR/PR, pls continue 2 DREAM, dream, dream …….
At least DAP/PKR/PR serve a useful purpose 2 some get-rich-quick smart Sabahans n S’kians
Here’s d scheme: Join DAP/PKR n engineer 2 get selected as GE candidates; if lucky n successfully elected as MPs or ADUNs (not so difficult in urban constituencies), then do some silly things (like don’t pay $ 2 party) 2 get kicked out of d party; then wow, HUAT liao, cross over 2 d dark side with $ n business deals (get on d gravy trains)
So syiok 1; got vacancy or not aah in Sabah n S’wak ………