Where SAPP and UBF differ

Is there a difference between Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and United Borneo Front (UBF), an NGO launched by Jeffrey Kitingan a few weeks ago?

By Amde Sidik

How different, if any, or how similar are the struggles of SAPP and UBF?

SAPP is a political party and it has drawn up its declaration and outlined its areas of struggles long ago. But of course there are similarities between SAPP and UBF.

As far as I’m concerned, SAPP needs to fine-tune or revise its declaration. Experience after the Batu Sapi by-election may be useful in how to say what we think.

I think the SAPP declaration need to be made easy. In other words, it must be made easily understood by the masses, especially on what we means by autonomy.

Briefly here are portions of the SAPP declaration:

• The government shall be of the people and based on good governance and… non-racial politics.
• Sabah shall have political autonomy whereby the government shall be formed and run by the people of Sabah.
• Sabah and other oil-producing states shall be entitled to petroleum royalty of 20%.
• Unfair federal laws which have been extended to Sabah and which are detrimental to the state shall be reviewed.
• Sabah shall be given fair and just participation in the federal administration, the civil service and the private sector, and that the federal departments in Sabah shall, as far as possible, be headed by locals there.
• The federal and the state governments shall put sufficient resources, political will and leaders in solving the illegal immigrant problems in a firm but humane manner, with emphasis on smart partnership.
• The federal and state governments shall together work on redressing the in-built structural imbalances in the economy and social structure of the country affecting Sabah and the other states.

The UBF declaration contains the following goals:

• Establishing a compliance mechanism for the Malaysia Agreement 1963.
• Demanding a fairer revenue-sharing formula and representation at the federal level.
• Restoring the status of Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners in the federation.
• Protecting native rights as enshrined in Article 153 of the Federal Constitution.
• Abolishing the cabotage policy.
• Narrowing the economic and digital divide.
• Resolving the MyKad problem.

If you look at the two declarations, they are almost similar. What we are talking about is Borneonisation.
Jeffrey has been my boss and friend for many years. But I have always kept my distance in politics not because of him but because some of the people around him were not my favourites.

We discussed many things about Borneo. I knew Jeffrey wanted me to join PKR a few years ago but again I only wanted to be associated with something close to my heart. My priority in politics is to represent those who have been betrayed.

It is my fond hope that one day Sabah leaders will come to their sense and check the inventory to see what we have lost and what we have gained under the current political system. And as for me, I want it changed. How? This is where we need to think.

Amde Sidik is SAPP deputy president.