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Why Joseph Pairin not giving his support as first Huguan Siou Tun Fuad, if alive today, would have fully endorsed Sipaun’s statement that life in Sabah before Malaysia was “very pleasant and good”

I just came across the latest attack on former Suhakam Vice Chairman and former Sabah State Secretary Tan Sri Simon Sipaun for his completely innocuous and patriotic statement recently that “life in Sabah before in Malaysia was very pleasant and good”.

Earlier, two Umno Tawau divisions had lodged police reports against Sipaun for the grave crime of sedition for making such an innocuous and patriotic statement when plumbing his memories of life today, 47 years after formation of Malaysia, and before.

Umno has now escalated its campaign to demonise and criminalise Sipaun for his statement, as the Sabah UMNO Youth leader, Azman Ruslan, has intervened alleging that Sipaun’s remark was “tantamount to questioning the wisdom behind Sabah’s decision to join the formation of Malaysia”.

Nobody except the most politically jaundiced could come to such a ridiculous conclusion. There is nothing wrong for Sipaun to give his views, based on his own memories, that life in Sabah was better and more pleasant before the formation of Malaysia in 1963.

No rational person would jump to the baseless conclusion that Sipaun was being unpatriotic or disloyal in opposing Sabah’s decision 47 years ago to form Malaysia or is now advocating Sabah’s secession from Malaysia.

It is the persons who make the irrational leap to such a conclusion as to make such baseless accusation to criminalise Sipaun who are really guilty of sedition, and against whom the police should take action and not against Sipaun.

The only real question at issue is whether there is any basis for Sipaun to make his statement comparing life in Sabah today and the times before formation of Malaysia. Continue reading “Why Joseph Pairin not giving his support as first Huguan Siou Tun Fuad, if alive today, would have fully endorsed Sipaun’s statement that life in Sabah before Malaysia was “very pleasant and good””

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Lim: Sabah budget is ‘cronies’ enrichment programme’

By Queville To
Free Malaysia Today
21 November 2010

KOTA KINABALU: Chief Minister Musa Aman’s ‘timely’ announcement of a special allocation of RM1 million to each Barisan Nasional representatives in Sabah next year has been described as a “form of political corruption”.

DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang said Musa’s announcement – under the state budget – warrants Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) attention and investigation.

“It is a political corruption to allocate RM1 million public funds to the BN constituencies alone. It is clearly an election budget to boost the winning chances of BN in the next general election and not for the benefit of the people. It is to be used to buy votes,” Lim charged.

Musa announced the special allocation under the state Budget 2011 on Friday. He said the allocation was to enable BN elected representatives to provide assistance to the people in their areas. The BN holds 57 out of 60 state seats in the state.
Continue reading “Lim: Sabah budget is ‘cronies’ enrichment programme’”

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Kit Siang wants royal inquiry on Sabah poverty

Sat, 20 Nove 2010
By Queville To
Free Malaysia Today

KOTA KINABALU: DAP is calling for a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate how Sabah, which was once a rich state, had crashed to a point that it was now the “poorest” in Malaysia and is “likely to stay that way for a considerable length of time”.

In making the call, party adviser Lim Kit Siang also asked how the government had allowed the state to become the poorest in the country if there was “inclusive growth”.

Lim was commenting on a World Bank Report last week which noted that 40% of Malaysia’s poor were centred in Sabah, making it the poorest state in the country. Continue reading “Kit Siang wants royal inquiry on Sabah poverty”

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Eight reasons why Pakatan lost

Bridget Welsh
Malaysiakini
Nov 5, 10

The BN deservedly should claim and savour yesterday’s victories. The combined gains in Galas and Batu Sapi show significant swings across ethnic minorities, which proved to be decisive in determining the final outcome.

This is the first major turning point in the political stalemate between the BN and Pakatan Rakyat among all of the 13 by-elections since March 2008.

From the ground, it was clear that the BN had the advantage in both seats, and I expected both wins. The results, however, are even larger than expected. Continue reading “Eight reasons why Pakatan lost”

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When the people are high on peyote…

Kee Thuan Chye
Nov 5, 10
Malaysiakini

COMMENT

The results of the two by-elections yesterday are portentous. No matter what analysts may say of their being isolated cases, or their being local stories with no bearing on the national saga, the implications could be deeper than some would care to admit.

Despite the decayed and fallen bridges in their villages, Sabahans stood squarely behind BN and returned its candidate to the parliamentary seat of Batu Sapi with an even bigger majority than in 2008.

They rejected the opposition candidates, one of whom was a former Sabah chief minister. He came off with the least number of votes and ended up a poor third to the PKR man. His Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) hoped to be a viable challenger to BN at the next general election, but after this defeat, it looks pretty unlikely.

It didn’t seem to matter to the Sabah electorate that the rotten bridges might reflect a rotten system. They were happy with the status quo.

And from the way it looks, they’ll be happy with it too at the next general election. By then, you can bet that those bridges would have been repaired.

In Kelantan, PAS lost its state seat of Galas to Umno, and that result was a definite letdown. Losing by a margin of 1,190 brought it close to a disaster. It looked like the Malays were flocking back to Umno, thanks perhaps to the rhetoric of the recent Umno general assembly. And the Chinese too, which was rather unexpected. Continue reading “When the people are high on peyote…”

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A PR win in Batu Sapi will signify national change, Kit Siang says

By Melissa Chi
The Malaysian Insider
October 31, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 31 — DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang emphasised today the importance of the Batu Sapi by-elections, claiming that only Pakatan Rakyat (PR) could offer Sabah the dire need of change.

“It will have a large implication… it will be a preview to the federal change of power,” the Ipoh-Timur MP told The Malaysian Insider over the phone.

“What this by-election means, is for the first time the people of Sabah in a by-election will be voting for national change,” the federal lawmaker said, confident that if the opposition coalition wins the Batu Sapi parliamentary seat, chances of winning the next general election will be much higher.

He claimed that it is not possible for a “real change” in Sabah change without a national change in government.
“The significance and implications of this Batu Sapi election, this message can be sent out to the voters. I believe the majority of the voters will see the importance… if Pakatan Rakyat wins, there is a possibility of change. Continue reading “A PR win in Batu Sapi will signify national change, Kit Siang says”

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Congrats Nazri for being the first in Cabinet to declare he is Malaysian first and race second – Ministers who refuse to make such declaration should be dropped from Cabinet

Congrats to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz for being the first in Cabinet to declare that he is Malaysian first Malay second in his open letter in reply to Awang Selamat of Utusan Malaysia (The Malaysian Insider).

Why it has taken more than six months since my challenge to Cabinet Ministers during the debate on the Royal Address in Parliament on March 18, 2010 to declare that they are Malaysian first and race second is really beyond me, as it demonstrates their total lack of support, commitment and political will to make Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia policy work and suceeed.

I had at the time posed three simple tests of 1Malaysia to determine whether all the Cabinet Minsiters were sincerely and seriously committed to Najib’s 1Malaysia, viz:

• Whether he or she agrees to the establishment of an Opposition-headed Parliamentary Select Committee on 1Malaysia;

• Is he or she prepared to declare that the basis of 1Malaysia is “ketuanan rakyat Malaysia” and not “ketuanan Melayu”; and

• Is he or she prepared to endorse the objective of 1Malaysia as defined by the 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme (GTP) Roadmap to create a nation where every Malaysian perceives himself or herself as Malaysian first, and by race, religion or region second.

Continue reading “Congrats Nazri for being the first in Cabinet to declare he is Malaysian first and race second – Ministers who refuse to make such declaration should be dropped from Cabinet”

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Fill half with Sabahans: DAP

Daily Express
Published on: Sunday, September 19, 2010

Kota Kinabalu: The Federal Government should seriously implement the 20-Point Agreement on Borneonisation by setting a target to fill at least half the 59 Federal departments in Sabah with Sabahans as heads before the next Malaysia Day celebration on September 16, 2011, said DAP Adviser Lim Kit Siang.

“(Prime Minister Datuk Seri) Najib should table this target at the Cabinet meeting next Wednesday to demonstrate that his administration is serious in wanting to address the 47-year grievances, frustrations and discontent of Sabahans and Sarawakians – making the first Malaysia Day as a national public holiday really worthwhile and meaningful,” he said.

He said Sabahans are disappointed that Najib came to Sabah completely empty-handed for the first Malaysia Day national public holiday in 47 years.

Speaking at the Malam Pakatan Rakyat gathering cum dinner held in Beaufort, Thursday, Lim further contended that if not for People’s Power as represented by the emergence of Pakatan Rakyat, Malaysia Day on September 16 would not have been declared a national public holiday by the Prime Minister even after 47 years.

He said that this was why the people of Sabah and Sarawak do not want to see the declaration of Malaysia Day as a national public holiday as a mere political ploy. Continue reading “Fill half with Sabahans: DAP”

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Sabah, Sarawak losing points to KL

By K Pragalath
FreeMalaysiaToday

COMMENT

Malaysia is 47 years old through the unification of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore in 1963. (Singapore was separated from Malaysia in 1965.)

The Kuala Lumpur-Kota Kinabalu-Kuching relationship must be relooked because of the imbalance between the centre and the periphery.

Most importantly, the 20-Point Agreement has been largely ignored in making the Malaysia that we have today.

Initial attempts by Sabah first chief minister Fuad Stephens to do so resulted in him being made Australian High Commissioner.

As a result, there were regressions from Sabah’s 20-Point Agreement and Sarawak’s 18-Point Agreement as seen in the “Allah” controversy and the ban on the Malay language Bible. Continue reading “Sabah, Sarawak losing points to KL”

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The knockout punch Najib failed to deliver

Wong Choon Mei
Malaysia Chronicle
Friday, September 17, 2010

The much longed-for recognition for Malaysia Day finally came in the form of a public holiday for the entire nation, but it failed to do anything to shore up the political position or the popularity of Prime Minister Najib Razak and his BN coalition.

And for this Najib has to take the blame. Not only has he been hiding behind glitzy public relations that do nothing but burn a hole in taxpayers’ pockets, even his Malaysia Day message was laughed at by the people for perceived cowardice. For while the 57-year old Najib disavowed ‘extremism’ in his speech, he took great care to do it as vaguely as possible so that no one knew what he was talking about or was referring to. Intentional or not, the end result was that no one took him seriously. And that is serious. Continue reading “The knockout punch Najib failed to deliver”

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Najib should seriously implement 20-Points Agreement on Borneonisation by setting target to fill at least half of 59 Federal departments in Sabah with Sabahans as heads before the next Malaysia Day on September 16, 2011

Sabahans are disappointed that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has come to Sabah completely empty-handed for the first Malaysia Day national public holiday in 47 years.

This makes a complete mockery of the belated recognition of the importance and significance of September 16 as Malaysia Day in the history of Malaysian nation-building process, which involves the rightful place of Sabahans and Sarawakians in the Malaysian scheme of things.

If not for People’s Power as represented by the emergence of Pakatan Rakyat, Malaysia Day on September 16 would not have been declared a national public holiday by the Prime Minister even after 47 years!

This is why the people of Sabah and Sarawak do not want to see the declaration of Malaysia Day as a national public holiday as a mere political ploy but want it to symbolize a belated recognition by and wake-up call for the Federal Government after 47 years to take seriously and address full-heartedly the frustrations, grievances and alienations suffered by Sabahans and Sarawakians for three generations at not being given full and fair treatment as Malaysian citizens – by removing once and for all the nagging sense felt by Sabahans and Sarawakians that they are not accorded recognition and rights as first-class citizens of Malaysia.

This is why Sabahans and Sarawakians expect more than having Malaysia Day declared as a national public holiday – why Sabahans expect Najib to come to Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan on the occasion of Malaysia Day to announce concrete measures how the Barisan Nasional Federal Government proposes to begin to address and resolve their 47-year-old grievances, frustrations and disaffections at not being given fair and proper treatment under the Malaysian sun. Continue reading “Najib should seriously implement 20-Points Agreement on Borneonisation by setting target to fill at least half of 59 Federal departments in Sabah with Sabahans as heads before the next Malaysia Day on September 16, 2011”

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Waiting for promises made three generations ago

By Leon Donald

SRI AMAN, Sept 16 — As we celebrate Malaysia Day, my thoughts roll back to my 95-year-old grandfather in Sri Aman.

He has shared many a story with me on how his grandmother brought him to Kuching to meet the Rajah in court, reminisce on the hardship during the Japanese occupation and then continue on the tragedies he had to go through during the early days of Malaysia during the Confrontation and Communist insurrection.

Then he would tell me about the hardship of campaigning with his cousin, the Paramount Chief of the Ibans, the late Tun Jugah anak Barieng, trying to convince the Ibans to agree to the formation of Malaysia.

He must be wondering the same as I, why only now, the government declares a public holiday on September 16?

Malaysia was formed 47 years ago, not 53 years mind you as Umno would lead us to believe, and only now there is an urgency to recognize the date.
Continue reading “Waiting for promises made three generations ago”

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Najib should not come empty-handed to Sabah for first Malaysia Day celebrations as national public holiday but should address problem of “Sabahans losing patience over 20 Points” as articulated by UPKO Senator

Malaysia Day on September 16 tomorrow will be celebrated as a national public holiday for the first time in the nation’s history.

The very fact that it has taken 47 years for Malaysia Day to be recognized officially as a national public holiday is testimony of why Sabahans and Sarawakians feel so aggrieved at not being accorded full and proper treatment as an integral part of Malaysia.

This prevailing sense of alienation, discrimination and even marginalization is best illustrated by a newspaper headline in the Sabah press today, viz: “Sabahans losing patience over 20 Points – Maijol”.

United Pasokmomogun Kadazan Dusun Murut Organisation (UPKO) vice president Senator Datuk Maijol Mahap was quoted as declaring that “Sabahans are fed up with the Federal Government’s failure to fulfill what have been promised in the 20 Points Agreement”.
Continue reading “Najib should not come empty-handed to Sabah for first Malaysia Day celebrations as national public holiday but should address problem of “Sabahans losing patience over 20 Points” as articulated by UPKO Senator”

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BN party backs boss on ‘Umno bad for 1M’sia’ stand

Free Malaysia TodayThu, 19 Aug 2010
By Dominic Legeh

PENAMPANG: Barisan Nasional component party Upko is standing by its president Bernard Dompok, who was labelled as irresponsible by Sabah Umno.

Upko secretary-general Wilfred Madius Tangau said it was unfortunate that Sabah Umno liaison deputy chairman Salleh Said Keruak could not read the “pulse of the people” well.

He was commenting on Dompok’s remark that Umno was a hindrance to the promotion of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s 1Malaysia concept, which he said was spot on.

“The fact is, this burning question is not in the mind of Dompok alone, but is a pertinent question in the mind of the grassroots including those of BN component party leaders. We support fully what our president has courageously stated publicly,” he said in a press statement. Continue reading “BN party backs boss on ‘Umno bad for 1M’sia’ stand”

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Make public the specific proposals made by the Sabah Chief Minister’s Department Laboratory on the Management of Illegal Immigrants in Sabah

New Straits Times today front-paged its exclusive story of 55 proposals by various government agencies in a laboratory to combat terrorism and reduce the high number of illegal immigrants in the country.

These 55 proposals are to tabled at the Cabinet Committee on Foreign Workers chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin when it meets on August 2.

What has happened to the earlier Laboratory on the Management of Illegal Immigrants in Sabah formed under the Sabah Chief Minister’s Department a few months ago, which is to come up with a new strategy and specific proposals to end the long-standing problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah?

Sabah faces the worst problem of influx of illegal immigrants, causing the state’s population to explode from some 400,000 during the formation of Malaysia in 1963 to three to four million today – with over half of the population believed to be foreigners.
Continue reading “Make public the specific proposals made by the Sabah Chief Minister’s Department Laboratory on the Management of Illegal Immigrants in Sabah”

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Kit Siang: Sabahans have become minority in Sabah

By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani | The Malaysian Insider

PETALING JAYA, July 4 — Lim Kit Siang said today that the lack of economic opportunities and development in Sabah had caused an exodus to Kuala Lumpur for greener pastures.

“After 47 years, Sabahans are now concerned that they have become the minority and strangers in their own land. How can Sabah’s population of 400,000 during the formation of Malaysia in 1963 be now multiplied to over three million today. Super producers in Sabah, where did they come from?” he said during Pakatan Rakyat’s first meeting of Sabahans in Klang Valley.

However, Lim pointed out that many Sabahans have been exploited with false promises which have left many to be unemployed and homeless.

He added that Sabah still lacked the basic infrastructure and necessities to accommodate the growing number of unemployed.
Continue reading “Kit Siang: Sabahans have become minority in Sabah”

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RESOLUTION of first meeting of Sabahans in Klang Valley

RESOLUTION of first meeting of Sabahans in Klang Valley in Petaling Jaya on Sunday, July 4, 2010:

The first meeting of Sabahans in the Klang Valley held in Petaling Jaya on Sunday, July 4, 2010 to discuss specifically the problems of Sabahans stranded in Klang Valley and generally the concerns, grievances and frustrations of Sabahans 47 years in Malaysia RESOLVES as follows:

  1. EXPRESS grave concern at the socio-economic plight of Sabahans stranded in the Klang Valley to the extent that homeless Sabahans had to scavenge for food from garbage bins outside restaurants in the Klang Valley or depend on food served by NGOs;

  2. EXPRESS grave distress at the spectrum of outstanding political, economic, socio-economic-cultural and citizenship woes of Sabahans, including:

    • 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

    • Poverty in Sabah – instead of eradication of poverty in Sabah as promised by Barisan Nasional in 2000, Sabah has the highest poverty rate in the country.

      • Continue reading “RESOLUTION of first meeting of Sabahans in Klang Valley”

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Hi Sabahans in Klang Valley – Lets meet in PJ on Sunday 2 pm

The meeting of Sabahans in the Klang Valley will be held this Sunday (July 4, 2010) at 2 pm at the Petaling Jaya Community Library Hall (next to Assunta Hospital, Petaling Jaya) (see map) to discuss the problems and needs, grievances and frustrations of Sabahans particularly those stranded in the Klang Valley.

The idea of a meeting of Sabahans in Klang Valley is the upshot of recent visits by DAP MPs/SAs to various parts of Sabah in the past months including Kota Belud, Tuaran, Keningau, Tambunan, Sepanggar, Donggongon and Kampong Inobong in Penampang, Tawau, Merotai, Kalabakan, Pitas and Kota Marudu.

Wherever DAP MPs/SAs Hiew King Cheu (Kota Kinabalu), Teo Nie Ching (Serdang), Lim Lip Eng (Segambut), Jimmy Wong (DAP Sabah state Assemblymen for Sri Tanjong) and I went in Sabah, there was concern 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. Continue reading “Hi Sabahans in Klang Valley – Lets meet in PJ on Sunday 2 pm”