Joe Fernandez | Malaysiakini
DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang has distressed BN leaders in Sabah no end with his Feb 28 statement in Kota Kinabalu that the KadazanDusunMuruts (KDMs) – the largest indigenous group in the state – are the biggest losers under the ruling coalition.
The reverberations are still echoing throughout the state and is likely to haunt BN in the run-up to the next general election.
Lim had also linked the biggest losers tag with the continued ban on the book, ‘Peter Mojuntin Golden Son of the Kadazan’, by former Malacca DAP leader Bernard Sta Maria. He has since initiated an online campaign to get the ban on the book lifted.
The book is about Sabah’s leader Mojuntin, who died in the plane crash together with a number of other top leaders including the state’s first chief minister Fuad Stephens in 1976.
Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman, a Pathan-Dusun, castigated Lim in no uncertain terms for being irresponsible. He was particularly upset that Lim pointed out that Umno had held the CM’s post for 11 of the last 16 years, the Chinese for four years and the KDM for only nine months.
He’s trying to stir racial tension in Sabah, said Musa on the sidelines of a special Friday meeting of Sabah BN component party leaders at Sri Gaya, the Chief Minister’s official residence in Kota Kinabalu.
Musa went on to stress that the KDM and Chinese are well-represented in the state cabinet. They are also holding many important posts in the civil service, added Musa.
His comments drew varied reactions from BN and other leaders in the state.
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) secretary-general Teo Chee Kang noted that Lim had also accused Chinese leaders in Sabah of not doing enough for the community after claiming that the KDMs were the biggest losers under the BN.
Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) vice-president Herbert Timbon Lagadan thinks that Lim is instigating the KDM community in an attempt to fish for their votes.
The people of Sabah must be aware of the opposition tiger clothed in sheep’s clothing, warned Lagadan. We must resist any attempt to divide and weaken us. The opposition does not want to see us strong.
Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan (left) was more cautious in his remarks and admitted that there is always room for improvement.
We are always looking at this (improvement), commented Pairin. The opposition is just trying to confuse the people. We should not panic over Lim’s statement just because he has been in politics a long time.
Umno Penampang chief John Ambrose is worried that Lim linked the position of the KDM to the ban on the Sta Maria book, among others.
Of course, we want to see the government lift the ban on the book but national interest must come first, said Ambrose. I hope the ban on the book will be lifted just as the ban on ‘The Malay Dilemma’ by Mahathir has been lifted.
None of the Sabah BN leaders touched on the salient points made by Lim including the drop in KDM representation, percentage-wise, from about 50 percent in 1960 to some 25 percent now.
Lim also stressed that KDM seats had been whittled down to less than 20 or about a third in the state assembly. Both developments were attributed by Lim to the steady influx of illegal immigrants and MyKads being issued to them.
KDM community still poor
Sabah Institute for Development Studies (SIDS) chair Clarence Bongkos Malakun sees Lim making political capital out of Bernard Giluk Dompok’s nine-month stint as chief minister and the scrapping of the rotation formula for the post.
As a Dusun himself, the chief minister is concerned about the KDM community, said Malakun. Of the 10 ministries in the state government, four of the permanent secretaries are KDM.
Malakun however declined to dwell on how many of the KDMs holding the posts were non-Muslim, a point noted by Lim when raising the marginalisation of the KDM community. Muslims are a minority among the KDM. Instead, Malakun labeled Lim a racist.
The SIDS chief conceded that poverty was a problem among the KDM but stressed that something was being done about this through agropolitian projects. Tongod, Pitas, Nabawan, Keningau, Kemabong and Beluran all poverty-stricken KDM areas are the focus of attention by the state government, according to Malakun. Lim has no issues to raise in Sabah.
Kota Kinabalu MP Hiew King Cheu is skeptical of figures cited by Malakun who was among those instrumental in overthrowing the PBS government in 1994.
So few of the 38,500 state civil servants are from the KDM community, charged Hiew who is also Sabah DAP chair. Not many KDMs are heads of departments with the federal government.
Hiew also claimed that the BN had re-classified some 500,000 KDMs and other native groups under the category of ‘Others’ (Lain-Lain).
Sabah is an electoral fixed deposit for the BN because the KDM are kingmakers, said Hiew. However, they are not being given the importance they deserve.
Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp) president Yong Teck Lee wants the unity factor to be kept in mind despite the subservient attitude of local leaders.
The federal BN cannot form a government in Putranaya without the support of Sabah and Sarawak, stressed Yong on what can bring people in the two states together. We are kingmakers after the March 8, 2008 general elections.
The rest of the opposition meanwhile stands by Lim on the alleged marginalisation of the KDM community in Sabah under BN rule.
Like the Dayaks in neighbouring Sarawak, they note that the KDM have been divided by the powers-that-be among all political parties in the state while Umno has forced itself on the Muslims including KDM Muslims as their only option.
Dear fellow Sabahans, you will a get a real chance for change in the next GE, a change for the better and for a better tomorrow!
Your votes will definitely count on the road to Putrajaya!
///and is likely to haunt BN in the run-up to the next general election.///
BN panic because they know what LKS said is true.
Dear Kits
Even if the case or situation in true in KDM community, but we should move away from Racial and Religious Politic as much as possible.
I do not thing what you said is extreme or instigating racial harmony. But following the same line of argument, we are following the BN way. We are playing their game, the game they are best in.
Lets play PR type of games, no BN’s
Regards
Shiok Guy
if all are housed in green , brown and yellow , then when the greens always get the all the best whether can or cannot, and the “marshalls ” systematically make it tougher for the others ..day after day for 50 years, would you think the whole committee are coloured blind.
#1 by All For The Road on Sunday, 7 March 2010 – 11:38 am
Dear fellow Sabahans, you will a get a real chance for change in the next GE, a change for the better and for a better tomorrow!
Your votes will definitely count on the road to Putrajaya!//////by for all the road…. Yes I totally agreed with you and would like to add that we,Sabahans now have PR as an alternative to Umno/BN . We all know that Umno/BN is corrupted,biased towards us and discriminated us on all grounds such as socially,economically and politically for almost five decades.Don’t be afraid of change,look at Japan,the LDB ruled for 50 years but last year the people of Japan had dumped it away.Korea too has changed president and party two years ago,in the united states of america,the people too changed president and party and our neighbour Indonesia,the people there had changed president and party as well. Look at all these countries,after the change of leadership and party,they all now are socially,economically and politically successful and peaceful. Similarly we too would enjoy all these sweet smell of success when we say good bye to Umno/Bn and hello to PR in the 13th GE. Five decades plus of Umno/Bn rule is enough and now is the right time to change to PR for the better.
The truth is the KDM community will easily switch if they think PR can win the Federal Govt and the same with the Dayaks in Sarawak. Its a chicken and egg problem really. They are hostage to their own dependencies. Even then, its already clear if elections were to be held now, KDM will give PR more support but is it enough given the gerry meandering and foreigners that can vote?
PR need to SHOW it can capture Terengganu and Negeri Sembilan, Perak first before the votes will swing enough so that not capturing Sabah and Sarawak won’t matter so long as they take enough seats to take Federal Govt. If PR shows it possible, then UMNO will have infighting and it will be guaranteed to March to Putrajaya. Its why Najib is desperate to capture 2/3 now before the next GE and change the rules of the game.
Wake up Sabahans! You have the power of the vote.
YB Kit is only saying the obvious. UMNO is exposed, riled big time. The truth truly hurts does it, huh?
Time for change, kick BN out!
UmnoUtusans are the enemy of all Malaysians, from Kelantan to Sabah.
Hapus dia
what had BN done for Sabah for the past 5 decades ? blackouts & water shortage is still a major problem , infrastructure still behind west malaysia by 20 years , illegals not deported back to their respective countries , incomes of fellow Sabahans workers had not improved while cost of living is overtaking it at a high fly………sleepy Sabahans , if u dun wake up u will forever remain at status quo , when west malaysia attained developed status , we East Malaysia still remains at 3rd world status
Dear Kits
Even if the case or situation in true in KDM community, but we should move away from Racial and Religious Politic as much as possible.
“I do not thing what you said is extreme or instigating racial harmony. But following the same line of argument, we are following the BN way. We are playing their game, the game they are best in.
Lets play PR type of games, no BN’s” – ShiokGuy
ShiokGuy, you got things completely wrong!
There may be many people in Sabah who are ignorant as to what the BN is all about and Uncle Lim did them a great service by waking them up so that they can vote for the government that will really benefit them instead of one that exploits them.
Compare this to the daily feed of false info from the MSM and the various underhanded methods of the BN, what Uncle Lim did is that of a saviour.
And needless to say, this really scared the BN allied fellas!
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Yup. It sure is “L”. For losers.
pk approach to bn fixed deposit as teh biggest losers as remarked by dtk is totally wrong though there’s every truth in it!!!
east malaysians especially the rural areas voting for bn cannot be blamed becasue all this while, bn has been giving ‘pre-maggie mee presents’ when bn needs their help. these rural guys have simple minds and they just accept poverty as being part of their fate in life!!!! say if dtk give them a car, they will find it useless because they can’t afford to pay for fuel,tyres or repair parts.
what pk should do is turun padang to these simple life people and give away petty goodies with promises of even more should they win in the elections….no need to talk good economics to them because they will be afraid because they don’t have enough money!!!
no need to blame them but talk to them NICELY and beg if needs to and this will work…very simple talk to very simple life people!!!
“W e c o m e i n p e a c e. W e n o b r i n g h a r m. W e g i v e g o o d i e s. M a g g i e m e e. K o p i p o w d e r . S u g a r . W e g o d . W e u m n o. W e l o v e y o u . Y o u m a r k p a p e r. D a c i n g ” X ” Y o u g i v e b a c k p a p e r. W e g i v e m a n y m a n y m o r e.”
… a basic understanding on money politics established between an umnoputra and the chief of a hill-tribe. In other words, spreading cancer cells to those poor ignorant folks residing deep in the jungle.
Pakatan Rakyat must highlight more of BN’s faults and sins in Sabah and Sarawak. When Sabahans and Sarawakians know about the crimes of BN, they will vote Pakatan.
True knowledge and information given by Pakatan Rakyat is of utmost importance to the Sabahans and Sarawakians because the mainstream media campaigns for BN.
Therefore, although it is time-consuming, Pakatan leaders must make effort to visit Sabah and Sarawak and get to know the ground situation there.