Star respond to PKR man accusation

In respond to PKR Risham Mail's statement in Daily Express yesterday...

KENINGAU : Well PKR now sounds more like its brother UMNO. Star never make any unrealistic promises to the people of Sabah in contrast to what Risham Mail of PKR had accused us.

It is our duty to tell the people the real history about Malaysia formation and how we were once an independent country, eventually reduced to just one of the 12 states in Malaysia.

By getting back what was ours will definitely make us rich and able to develop well. That is not sweet talk. We are talking facts. If PKR Sabah is so skeptical about their own ability to lead like what Risham implied in his statement, then that speaks volumes why they depended on outsiders to dictate them.

And Sabah will never be successful and in fact it will lose many more rights it has.

Of course Star fight is similar to what PBS had fought initially in the past. Risham should realise that's why PBS enjoyed undividing support from the people before. Now Star fights for this state, and Star will not meet the same fate as PBS as Risham loved to preempt.

PBS failed in the past because UMNO or BN was in control of 2/3 majority in Parliament. But now the situation has changed. In the past though PBS controlled 2/3 of the state seats, their MPs were too small to make any impact.

In 2008, BN lost its 2/3 majority and was saved only by the MPs from Sabah and Sarawak, no matter how small their number was compared to the total 165 MP seats in Peninsular.

There is very likelihood that a Malaya-based party cannot form their own federal government without Sabah and Sarawak at the coming general election.

PKR being a Malaya-based party hates to admit this simply because their leaders from Peninsular, just like Umno leaders are, want to be master to people like Risham. I don't know wether the leaders of PKR here understand this or they just pretend not to understand when they are in full knowledge of the mentality of these outsider leaders.
Star respects the intelligence of the people and so we will not say unreasonable things. Risham too should know better not to under rate Sabahans' will to change. The people are not easily hoodwinked by politicians nowadays. With the entry of internet in rural towns in Sabah, the people are more aware of issues.
The fact that in a mere four months of its existence in Sabah, Star managed to get 165,000 members speak for itself the acceptance of people of our Borneo Agenda struggle.

By the way we invite leaders of other parties to a debate with Star on issues so as to show who is in better position to exact change in Sabah.


By Dr Nicholas James Guntobon is Deputy Chairman, State Reform Party (Star), Deputy Chairman, State Reform Party (Star), Deputy Head Keningau Star Division