Joseph BingkasanWilfred Bumburing's APS which Anwar Ibrahim tasked to garner support for the opposition from the natives is confident that the tide is turning.
KOTA KINABALU: Anwar Ibrahim may be a happier man these days with the positive sounds coming out of Sabah.
Going by what Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) speakers are saying at each of its roadshows held around the state since its formation on July 29, Pakatan Rakyat is on a solid footing and the Barisan Nasional’s fixed deposit state is very much in play in the coming general election.
APS headed by Tuaran MP Wilfred Bumburing which has been tasked by Anwar to garner support for the opposition, especially from the natives is confident that it has begun swinging support for the opposition coalition in Kadazandusun and Murut majority constituencies in the state.
Bumburing, a former senior BN leader, has worked hard to established his pro-Pakatan body in every native-majority constituency and his supporters believe they are gaining strength even among the non-Bumiputera Sabahans.
“We are moving towards a change for the better … not just for the restoration of Sabah’s sovereignty as an independent state within the Federation of Malaysia, but an overall change in the whole of Malaysia,” APS deputy secretary-general Benson Inggam told FMT today.
He said that APS subscribed to a two-party political system and in taking over Putrajaya which only a Pakatan-led opposition grouping would be in a position to achieve.
Inggam, who heads APS’ coordinating committee for Kinabatangan, added that any change in the overall administration and functioning of the government in the context of what Sabah wants requires that the control of parliament changes hands.
He hit out at the hardline stance taken by State Reform Party (STAR) which has pledged to do whatever it takes, even cooperate with the Barisan Nasional ruling coalition if need be to get what it wants – autonomy for Sabah.
“The doctrine of self-determination being propagated by STAR is in fact not even one of the 20-Points agreement which was formulated by the Cobbold Commission and became part and parcel of the Malaysia Agreement 1963,” he said.
“There are other elements and spirit in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 which provided for guarantees and protection for Sabah as an independent state within Malaysia and that is what we believe and that is what we are struggling for in APS,” he added.
Ask Jeffrey about Daim?
APS, as a grouping, is prioritising the restorations of the rights of the indigenous people of Sabah as Malaysian citizen and the restorations of our state’s rights within the Federation based on the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963.
Inggam also chided the Jeffrey Kitingan-led Sarawak-registered party for working to disunite the community with their personal attacks, calling its youth chief, Azroy Hasmin Abdullah, a young former schoolteacher, a “green horn” in Sabah politics for tagging APS and Bumburing as “good for Tamparuli and Tuaran only”.
Bumburing, who until July 29, was deputy president of BN’s component United Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation deputy president, was once the assemblyman for Tamparuli.
Tamparuli is one of the three state seats under the Tuaran parliamentary constituency. The other two being Sulaman and Kiulu, both KDM-majority areas.
On Azroy’s demand for APS to furnish proof about its charge that Jeffrey had met Umno’s Tun Daim Zainuddin, Inggam said: “This meeting is the talk of the town even in the eastern part of Sabah.
“What the STAR youth should do is to consult his political master and ask him about this meeting."
Which is more effective: local or import?
It appears that opposition parties are far from reaching a consensus on a one-to-one contest with Barisan Nasional in Sabah, a key state that could hold sway on who gets to form the next government.
ReplyDeleteThis is evident from the cancellation of a recent forum aimed at getting key opposition leaders to publicly commit to a straight fight with BN. Organised by Demokrasi Sabah (Desah), the forum came to nought after Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and DAP's Lim Kit Siang failed to turn up.
ReplyDeleteDesah, a local-based political pressure group headed by former state secretary Tan Sri Simon Sipaun, had hoped that leaders of PKR, DAP, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and the State Reform Party (STAR), the four main opposition parties expected to feature prominently in Sabah in the 13th general election, would attend the forum.
ReplyDeleteDesah deputy chairman Ronnie Klassen said that Anwar did not even bother to respond to their invitation.
ReplyDeleteDesah opined that a one-to-one contest between the opposition and BN was crucial to provide voters a clear choice of who they preferred should form the next government, both at the state and federal levels.
ReplyDeleteSuch a hope may unlikely to materialise, going by the snub by Anwar and Lim to the Desah forum.
ReplyDeleteWhile the Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee-led SAPP appears to be prepared to compromise with PKR and DAP on the seats it intends to contest in order to avoid a split in opposition votes, STAR seems to have other ideas.
ReplyDeletePolitical analysts believe that the recent defection of BN members of parliament Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin (Beaufort) and Datuk Seri Wilfred Mojilip Bumburing (Tuaran) to the opposition had made negotiations for common opposition candidates to take on the BN even more complicated.
ReplyDeleteIt is learnt that the two only agreed to support the opposition pact after Anwar acceded to their request to be allowed to decide on the candidates for certain seats.
ReplyDeleteThamrin dismissed Lajim's claim, insisting that Lajim's power base was mainly in Beaufort and that the strength of the opposition lay in its ability to arrive at decisions based on consensus.
ReplyDeleteThe opposition leaders in Sabah have repeatedly expressed their optimism at reaching a compromise on fielding a single candidate to take on BN, but it is probably "easier said than done".
ReplyDeleteThe parochial stance of the local opposition leaders, particularly Kitingan, is also seen as a stumbling block for the opposition to strike a compromise.
ReplyDeleteAtas sebab itu, sejak tahun 1998, berapa ramai para pemimpin Parti Keadilan kini PKR telah meneninggalkan Anwar, termasuk beberapa wakil rakyat yang menang menggunakan logo PKR pada PRU-12 lalu.
ReplyDeleteKini, ada kencenderungan pula, mereka-mereka yang menentang Anwar dahulu, kini terpengaruh menyertai Anwar terutama di Sabah, kononnya tujuan mereka itu, untuk mengwujudkan persepsi, bahawa BN Sabah tidak kuat lagi dan sekaligus menafikan anggapan sebelum ini, bahawa BN Sabah adalah Fixed Deposit BN.
DeleteAnggapan BN Sabah dan Sarawak sebagai Fixed Deposit BN, apabila keputusan pilihanraya di Semenanjung, di mana BN berdepan dengan saat-saat genting, namun, Sabah dan Sarawak menjadi penyelamat BN bermula sejak awal kemerdekaan lagi; ini juga termasuk PRU-12 lalu, di mana berlaku tsunami politik terhadap BN di Semenanjung.
DeleteMelihat kepada sejarah itu, maka pihak pembangkang yang diterajui Anwar, berusaha mengatur muslihat yang kotor terutama di Sabah dan Sarawak, untuk mengwujudkan persepsi, kononnya KALI INI, rakyat kedua negeri itu menyebelahi pembangkang.
DeleteKeadaan ini, termasuklah GERAKAN 16 SEPTEMBER,2008 Anwar, yang kononnya akan berlaku lompat parti seramai 31 MP BN Sabah dan Sarawak untuk menyertai Pakatan, dan dengan itu Pakatan akan mengambilalih kerajaan daripada BN. Namun, hingga kini perkara itu tidak berlaku, kecualilah, menjelang PRU-13 ini, terdapat dua MP BN yang melompat ke Pembangkang, melawan 7 MP Pakatan yang keluar dan menjadi mesra BN sebelum ini.
DeleteMuslihat Anwar untuk mempengaruhi seramai mungkin MP atau pemimpin BN untuk menyertai pembangkang sebelum PRU-13, semata-mata untuk tujuan persepsi; kerana para pemimpin BN yang berjaya digait Anwar itu, adalah terdiri daripada pemimpin BN yang sudah pasti tidak akan dicalonkan pada PRU-13 mewakili BN, kerana termasuk bukan winnabale candidate.
DeleteKitingan, who had changed his political affiliation no less than seven times, with PKR as his last stop before joining the Sarawak-based STAR, had openly said that Sabahans should be allowed to decide their destiny without interference of outside parties.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the opposition will ever be able to cooperate as it is obvious that its leaders, especially Kitingan, Yong and Lajim all aspire to become the chief minister.
ReplyDeletebukan mudah pembangkang nak kalahkan BN.
ReplyDelete