Luke Rintod
The Sabah STAR chief says he admires Taib's resolute stand not to allow Umno coming into Sarawak.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah State Reform Party (STAR) chief Jeffrey Kitingan has defended his call to Sarawakians to support local instead of peninsula-based parties, saying he meant well for Sarawak after Sabah’s own experience with outsider party.
“I wanted to share with Sarawak, Sabah’s own experience with Umno’s colonisation in the state so that what happened to Sabah would not happen to Sarawak in the future,” he said in response to Sarawak PKR leader Baru Bian’s response that the former’s call was confusing Sarawakians.
Jeffrey, who is also chairman of NGO United Borneo Front (UBF), clarified that his “support local party” call has nothing to do with Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud.
Speaking exclusively to FMT here, Jeffrey stressed that what he meant was that (a) local party would be the best vehicle for Sarawak and Sabah.
“I admire Taib’s resolute stand not to allow Umno coming into Sarawak. The moment the people there supported (an) outsider party over local, they would lose their autonomy.
“I have a message to Taib too, that is the Sarawak local parties under BN right now should be open to work with whoever Sarawak is more comfortable with after the coming general election.
“It doesn’t mean I am asking the people of Sarawak to support BN, not at all, but that local parties would be the best and ideal vehicle,” he said.
He said his message was clear and that is to empower the people in the two states and never to surrender their franchise under any threat.
He said sometimes this ‘franchise’ comes masquerading as offer to help or empower them by outsider political parties or leaders.
“Just look at Sabah, the moment Umno came in place of a local party, Kuala Lumpur started calling the shots, making the state government powerless on Sabah’s destiny until the state leaders were mere puppets of outsiders. And now Sabah is the poorest state with a myriad of KL-made problems,” he said.
Rumours of a Taib-Jeffrey tie
Jeffrey also qualified his call to support local party with caution to only support leaders with good governance records.
“The people of Sarawak are in a position of control of their own destiny and they should never ever allow an outsider party to overlord them, and later colonise them, lest what happened in Sabah happens to Sarawak too,” he said.
During his recent visit to Sarawak, Jeffrey advised Sarawakians not to support peninsula-based Pakatan Rakyat (PR) but instead to give their backing to local parties.
It was also reported that his comment ‘confirmed’ rumours that Jeffrey had met Taib and that the duo could be in a symbiotic alliance to thwart Pakatan, and also leverage with the current central power under Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak who was said to be keen to have his own loyalist -candidates in Sarawak.
Meanwhile the strongest political parties in Sarawak are all under Taib’s influence. They are BN component parties – Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu, Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP).
A new party, Sarawak Workers’ Party (SWP) led by a Taib favourite, Larry Sng, is also said to be within Taib’s influence.
Boleh naik temperature pemimpim-pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat jika membaca kenyataan Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan yang bersifat menghasut rakyat Sabah dan Sarawak untuk menolak Pakatan Rakyat pada PRU-13 nanti.
ReplyDeleteKenyataan Dr Jeffrey yang paling pedas ialah apabila beliau mengatakan bahawa Buku Jingga Pakatan Rakyat tidak menyatakan atau menjelaskan secara terperinci tentang manfaat buku tersebut kepada penduduk Sabah dan Sarawak.
ReplyDeleteLebih mendukacitakan pemimpin-pemimpin PR yang mula menyimpan angan-angan untuk menduduki kerusi empuk Puterajaya apabila Dr Jeffrey membuat kenyataan yang bunyinya lebih pro kepada Barisan Nasional berbanding dengan Pakatan Rakyat.
ReplyDeleteDalam kenyataan itu, Dr Jeffrey ada menekankan bahawa penduduk Sarawak patut rasa bertuah kerana dipimpin oleh parti tempatan, dan mereka (penduduk Sarawak) wajar mengekalkan kerajaan negeri sedia ada.
ReplyDeletePerkembangan ini jelas membuktikan bahawa hasrat pembangkang mahu mewujudkan kesefahaman bagi mengadakan satu lawan satu menentang BN pada pilihanraya umum nanti telah gagal sepenuhnya.
ReplyDeleteBelum reda pergolakan antara SAPP, PPPS dan APS, kini STAR pula cuba menimbulkan ketegangan dengan PR. Samada tindakan Dr Jeffrey ini didorong oleh perjuangan murni agenda Borneo beliau atau didorong oleh sikap tamak, yang pasti BN akan kekal memerintah selepas PRU-13 atas kelebihan "multiple-cornered fight".
ReplyDeleteNampak gayanya, pemimpin-pemimpin BN tidak perlu bekerja keras menentang pembangkang memandangkan pembangkang hari ini saling memburuk-burukkan kepimpinan dikalangan mereka sendiri.
ReplyDeleteThe 13th general election is heading for a multi-cornered fight in nearly all seats with the Opposition unable to hammer out a deal in Sabah.
ReplyDeleteThe squabbling between national and local Opposition parties make one-on-one contests unlikely, and this is expected to give Barisan Nasional a stronger hand in retaining Sabah.
ReplyDeleteTalks between local-based Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) headed byDatuk Yong Teck Lee and Sabah STAR led by Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitinganwith Pakatan Rakyat are bogged down.
ReplyDeleteAll indications show that SAPP and Sabah Star will likely do a deal to push the Sabah agenda while Pakatan Rakyat with its local-based allies Tuaran MP Datuk Wilfred Bumburing and Beaufort MP Datuk Lajim Ukinwill go it alone for the 60 state and 25 parliament seats.
ReplyDelete“Pintu sudah tutup tapi belum kunci (The door is closed, but not yet locked),'' Bumburing said yesterday, hinting that PKR, DAP and PAS under Pakatan will work with him and Lajim.
ReplyDeleteBumburing said that traditionally Sabah voters have chosen between only two parties.“The choice this round is between Barisan and Pakatan,'' he claimed, adding that he did not believe that Sabah-based parties would make a dent.
ReplyDeleteWhen contacted, Dr Jeffrey, whose party is being approached by a Sabah DAP leader, said that a free-for-all was on the cards but there were talks to ensure “one-on-one'' fights in 12 of the 25 parliamentary seats.
ReplyDelete“We are okay with the idea of a pact for certain parliament seats,'' said Dr Jeffrey, whose party has called for the national opposition to stay out of Sabah.
ReplyDelete“We are ready (to go it alone) irrespective of any seat arrangement,'' said Dr Jeffrey, whose party has teamed up with the unregistered Usno Baru under the Borneo Alliance.
ReplyDeleteYong said that Pakatan has communicated a seat arrangement offer to the SAPP through a letter but he wants the coalition to make a public announcement before SAPP's supreme council decides on it.
ReplyDeleteThis, he said was to prevent things turning messy as the national opposition coalition had many entities and were also in a deadlock over seats in other states including Sarawak.
ReplyDeleteYong did not want to reveal the details of the Pakatan seat-sharing formula but it is widely speculated that the 85 state and parliamentary seats in Sabah will be shared equally between six entities PKR, DAP, PAS, SAPP, Lajim and Bumburing.
ReplyDeleteThe Pakatan offer is likely to be rejected by SAPP as both Lajim and Bumburing were planning to use the PKR symbol and this would give the party the largest chunk of seats in Sabah.
ReplyDeleteJeffrey, Anwar reportedly further alleged, was a racist and the most corrupt person in Sabah. The de facto party chief made reference to the time that Jeffrey headed the Sabah Foundation when he denied scholarships to poor Muslim students.
ReplyDeleteAnwar also feared that it would not be that easy for the party headquarters to work with Jeffrey since he was always harping on illegal immigrants, state rights, autonomy and the Malaysia Agreement.
ReplyDeleteWhen Anwar's purported remarks leaked out, he went into damage control mode and reluctantly agreed to lawyer and land rights activist Baru Bian, a Christian native, heading the Sarawak chapter.
ReplyDeleteSabah PKR has been in turmoil ever since Jeffrey's resignation in late 2009.
ReplyDeleteHis stand is that the state chief, no matter who, should be democratically elected. He was willing in 2009 to accept fresh polls for the post but the party headquarters, in fact Anwar, would not hear of it.
ReplyDeleteHe wanted a consensus on the matter followed by the president - read Anwar - making a final decision on the matter.
ReplyDeleteThe choice need not necessarily be the candidate put forward as the party constitution also gives the president the power to appoint the state chiefs.
ReplyDeleteThe Sabah Peace Plan - drafted by Tian Chua, Chua Jui Meng, David Yeoh, Michael Bong and John Soh - was quickly put in place by Anwar. However, it did not go on to pacify the locals as it was honoured in the breach.
ReplyDeleteIn return for Jeffrey accepting Thamrin's appointment as state chief, Kota Kinabalu division chief Christina Liew was to be appointed deputy state chief, Moses Iking state secretary, Bernard Solibun treasurer, and Raymond Tombung Boin information chief. There were also to be other appointments suggested by Jeffrey. The man himself had hinted magnanimously that he may let the other side decide on these more minor appointments. S
ReplyDeleteThere was an ominous silence from the party headquarters as Thamrin went on to appoint others not endorsed by Jeffrey in the state line-up.
ReplyDeleteTo add insult to injury, Iking is one of the two division chiefs and senior party activist suspended for a year by the party for their abortive involvement in the Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS). Nine other division chiefs involved in PCS were given warning letters.
ReplyDeleteThe Sabah Peace Plan had pledged that there would be no witch hunt against those involved in filing an application, withdrawn the next day, to register PCS.
ReplyDeleteSabah police is prepared for the 13th general election which may be held at any time this year, with a strength of almost 10,000 personnel, said State Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib.
ReplyDeleteHe said the preparation encompassed the entire Sabah contingent, District Police Headquarters, General Operations Force, Marine Operations Force and supporting logistics.
Delete“We believe that with 10,000 personnel, including 247 newly trained personnel, we will be able to face the upcoming general election,” he said after attending the first monthly meeting of the Narcotics Criminal Investigations Department at the Sabah police headquarters in Kepayan, here yesterday.
Delete“We’re already informed that the 13th general election will be different from before, with early voting, provision of only Election Commission booths and not from contesting parties and the use of indelible ink,” he said.
DeleteThe police force’ preparedness will ensure the safety of people and property despite various speculations on the matter before, during and after the general election, he added.
Delete“The important thing is for us to form a strategy and carry out our duties efficiently and effectively,” he emphasised.
DeleteHe also reminded any political parties wishing to organise rallies to comply with the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012.
Delete“Any such parties should notify the district police chief of their plans. The police will not stop them but will ensure public order and safety,” he said.
DeleteIn the past few days a detailed explanation has emerged as to why GE13 will be held in mid to late March. It has to do with the expiration of the Johor State Assembly, the PM's busy overseas meeting schedule in February, and the proximity of the campaign to the end of Chinese New Year celebrations in February.
ReplyDeleteWhatever the reasoning, elections are around the corner, so it is also time to run the ruler over the major parties – and people – who will be clambering for our attention and votes with just a few weeks to go.
ReplyDeleteThis will be an election for 222 Dewan Rakyat seats. It won't be a Presidential election, which is a shame for Barisan Nasional because if it were, its leader "Mr. 63 Percent", Datuk Seri Najib Razak, would be what the Americans call a shoe-in.
ReplyDeleteThat approval figure isn't the result of a personality contest because survey respondents have repeatedly cited real issues for their vote of confidence. His stewardship of the economy and his long-term plans for the nation are the reasons he gets their support. It's an even more remarkable number given that the BN he inherited when he became leader was, to put it bluntly, bloated and stale.
ReplyDeleteAside from the policy initiatives he has introduced since 2009, reforming this coalition that has been in power 55 years has been Najib's greatest success to date. We will get an idea of just how much progress he has made when the candidate list is published for GE13, which will likely show a number of old-timers consigned to history.
ReplyDeleteBut make no mistake; Najib represents our booming economy and ground-breaking reforms. Five percent growth in an election year while so much of the world suffers? For any other world leader set to face the people that would be the only thing they campaign on!
ReplyDeleteBut Najib wants to talk about more. He wants voters to think ahead, about the high income developed nation status the Government aims to achieve by the year 2020, the reform of our school system to make it among best in the world, and global banks setting up shop in KL, the new regional financial hub.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim looks like he is ready to fly the white flag and there is evidence of his defeatist attitude all around us. Firstly, he doesn't counter Najib's policies and ideas, explaining how he would do it better and demanding voters make a choice between the two.
ReplyDeleteAnwar instead portrays himself as a victim of the ruthless BN machine that will rob him of victory at GE13, a machine he wants removed through an "uprising" instead of winning over the populace through concrete suggestions and proposals of how to improve their lives. These populist antics seem a desperate last effort by an Opposition devoid of ideas.
ReplyDeleteBut he also doesn't assert himself internally. Occasionally Anwar nudges PAS over its hudud campaign, but not in a way that would actually make a difference. If the Islamists actually respected – or feared – Anwar's leadership, they would be too respectful – or afraid – to cross him.
ReplyDeleteSabah has many things to offer.
ReplyDeleteInstead, in the absence of Anwar's firm leadership, the news agenda is occupied by summonses against hairdressers and a ban on female dancers in Kedah for Chinese New Year.
ReplyDeleteThe other evidence of Anwar's defeatism is that rather than focus on his rapport with the rakyat and convince them of his vision (or lack thereof), he has remained obsessed by gaining power by other means: defections, and deals with parties such as SAPP that want to take him for ride
ReplyDeleteHe also, remarkably, when challenged with the idea that PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang could be Prime Minister instead of him said "no problem". So much for asserting his authority, or is he seeing the writing on the wall and is beginning to buckle under the pressure?
ReplyDeleteAround Anwar operates PKR, which an analyst writing for the Asia Sentinel website last week described as having "severe organizational problems". That translates into party turmoil, with PKR's only state involved in open civil war and the leader's daughter offending Islamic sensibilities with her careless comments.
ReplyDeleteDAP, meanwhile, believes it is better than PKR. Better disciplined and better organised (but certainly not better at addition given the recent CEC election fiasco). It's biggest problem is that rather than be multi-ethnic it is now more Chinese-focussed than ever, meaning it has lost Indian voters to BN and has had to come up with a contrived Malay-candidate agenda to give it a better chance in mixed race urban seats.
ReplyDeleteThe Malaysian Insider also understands that PR is unwilling to cede seats to the Sabah-based SAPP despite its claim to have greater appeal with locals in the east Malaysian state, insisting that theirs is a more Chinese-dominated party.
ReplyDeleteWhich brings us, last but not least, to PAS. It has never worried about its support base, which is the largest of any Pakatan party. But as we all know, it is a perfect paradox. The more it does to appeal to its base, the more it alienates its Pakatan partners and renders itself unelectable to the rest of the nation.
ReplyDeleteThere is also the argument that PAS has not effectively managed to woo poor rural voters, as many of them like Najib's social measures, such as the 1Malaysia aid initiatives. They were also positively surprised what Felda Global has done for the lives of settlers, despite the bad-mouthing and opposition to the floatation by Pakatan.
ReplyDeleteBeyond religious comfort there is little PAS has to say to these people. Vote for us and our secular Chinese friends? It doesn't have much of a ring to it, does it?
ReplyDeleteSure, BN is not the perfect coalition either, but which coalition is? However, it is by far more in synch than Pakatan, whose sole common objective is to take power in Putrajaya. So before heading to the polls, think about the following:
ReplyDeleteHave you considered to not only look at what Najib has so far, but what more he can do with a renewed mandate? Because when it comes to reforms, he has only just begun.
ReplyDeleteHave you thought about the risks involved in electing an unknown quantity in the form of Pakatan Rakyat during volatile economic times, which Malaysia has commendably navigated so far under Najib? Financial experts have already warned that a Pakatan government will lead to frightened capital markets and an investment downturn.
ReplyDeleteAnd think about hesitant Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, trying to restore order at his first cabinet meeting after he had to divvy up the prized minister positions between PKR, DAP and PAS. This is a man, who, weeks before the elections, doesn't even have a Shadow Cabinet in place.
ReplyDeleteThat first meeting would include the words: "So what are our policies?" And after that, all hell would break loose. GE13 is near. Now it all feels very real.
ReplyDeleteSAPP, APS and PPPS are now locked in a verbal warfare with SAPP chief Datuk Yong Teck Lee on one side, and ex-BN strongmen Datuk Seri Wilfred Mojilip Bumburing and Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin on the other.
ReplyDeleteBoth factions have gone public with their bitter exchanges and name calling, each accusing the other of political greed and an unwillingness to unite against BN.
ReplyDeleteThe opposition front in Sabah is a crowded one and in the months leading up to the coming 13th general election, all players have been scrambling for their share of the state’s 60 state seats up for grabs
ReplyDeletePR, the opposition pact that was formed in the peninsula after BN suffered significant losses in Election 2008, has set its sights on toppling the ruling pact from its Sabah bastion.
ReplyDeleteIn Election 2008, BN lost its customary two-thirds parliamentary majority largely due to significant losses in the peninsula, where it won just 85 seats while the opposition swept 80 seats.
ReplyDeleteDatuk Seri Najib Razak has likened PAS, DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leaders as “water and oil” that cannot be united to lead the country.
ReplyDeleteThe prime minister said as opposition leaders subscribed to different political ideologies, struggles and agendas, it would difficult for them to cooperate with each other.
ReplyDeleteDAP has Karpal Singh, Lim Kit Siang while PAS has Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat. Like water and oil, they are impossible mixture.
ReplyDeleteSejak kemerdekaan hidup rakyat Sarawak diam dengan aman dan damai dengan hidup yang saling memahami budaya kaum masing-masing di negeri ini.
ReplyDeleteKeamanan dan keharmonian serta hidup majmuk yang di Negeri ini harus dikekalkan.
ReplyDeleteNamun semenjak dua menjak ini budaya berpolitik ganas dan ektrimis semakin menular di negeri ini atas pengaruh cara politik luar.
ReplyDeletePolitik Memfitnah, Menghasut, dan menimbulkan isu-isu sensitif yang tidak pernah timbul sebelum ini dibangkitkan oleh orang LUAR ini.
ReplyDeleterakyat Sarawak harus tolak orang luar tersebut.
ReplyDeleteSAPP dan STAR kedua-duanya mempunyai 'based power' yang boleh dimanfaatkan oleh pembangkang, tetapi kerana hala tuju kedua parti ini macam 'mencurigakan' terutama dari segi keikhlasan.
ReplyDeleteAnwar sudah menyatakan kesediaan untuk memberi laluan kepada SAPP,STAR untuk bertanding di kerusi yang sebelum ini ditandingi PKR di Sabah, namun kedua-dua parti itu jelas tidak menghormati Ketua Pembangkang itu.
ReplyDeleteJeffrey membayangkan partinya akan bertanding di 60 kerusi DUN di Sabah.Bukan setakat itu, Jeffrey juga menunjukan keegoannya apabila menegaskan akan bertanding di ke semua 25 kerusi Parlimen di negeri itu.
ReplyDeleteAda cakap-cakap politik di internet dan dalam kalangan pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat Sabah bahawa Jeffrey juga sengaja bertanding di Parlimen Keningau pada Pilihan Raya Umum (PRU) lalu bagi mengelakan kawasan itu dirampas Pakatan Rakyat.
ReplyDeleteAdalah sesuatu yang malang, Star enggan bekerjasama dengan Pakatan Rakyat dalam keadaan Pilihan Raya Umum kian hampir.Kecualilah Star memang dibentuk dengan sengaja untuk memecah belahkan pembangkang di negeri itu.
ReplyDelete