Former chief Minister and Sabah State Assembly Speaker, Datuk Salleh Said Keruak, had said recently that he believes Sabah and Malaysia are on the right track to achieving state and national targets, and that to him Sabah has already seen tremendous developments “by leaps and bounds since independence,” and that “the federal allocations for Sabah and Sarawak... they are getting a bigger chunk of the federal fund. No one can deny this,” that the per capita income in the state has also increased and increasing and lifestyles have improved and that “we enjoy a peaceful and harmonious state that continues to progress at rapid pace,” he said.
Of course there have been a lot of changes after independence, but we must not look at what we have achieved only but what great developments we have missed because of mistakes we had committed and are still committing! If I were to elaborate on this point alone I could go on to fill up a few pages of this paper, even many books.
When I wrote my paper, “Shattered Hopes and Broken Dreams,” I listed a host of problems which had become cancerous for Sabah. Anyone wishing to have a copy of this paper can email me at danieljjambun@gmail.com. The issues are many, but let me just mention a few. By joining Malaysia in a hurry we have lost the right over a lot of things like revenue collection, which most of it now goes to Kuala Lumpur, and this is a violation of Point 11 of the 20 Points which says: “North Borneo should retain control of its own finance, development and tariff, and should have the right to work up its own taxation and to raise loans on its own credit.”
By looking at our potential oil revenue, Salleh cannot deny that we should now be richer than Brunei! Now there has been a discovery of a field with a stock of US500 billion worth of gas in Sabah waters, and the frustration is that it is even this will not be under our control. And what untold wealth have we lost because of the surrender of Block L and M – a surrender made without reference to the state cabinet and the federal cabinet? If we complain about Tan Sri Harris surrendering Labuan to KL without the people’s consent, imagine how much more we have lost with the loss of Block L and M! Tremendous development, my foot!
Salleh tries to downplay the seriousness of the illegals problem by saying there are needed in the plantation and construction sectors, as if we Sabahans are blind idiots who have never learned the truth about the whole rotten things about PTIs. The illegals are a massive problem which is threatening Sabah with the possibility of a reverse takeover and a drastic change in the demography of Sabah. Hundreds of thousands of them have become legal, are now already full-fledged new Bumiputeras of Malaysia because some leaders saw to it that they get Mykads. Many are still coming through our porous boundaries with ease. To come in and out of Sabah is so easy, without any fear of being caught. Just take a fishing boat out to sea and join a bigger boat to go to the Philippines waters which is a short distance away! And to come back, just do it vice versa, and the border police won’t even care! The refusal by UMNO to form a Royal Commission of Inquiry to solve it despite the many requests by BN local component parties can only be interpreted as caused by a hidden agenda to sabotage Sabah for the sake of political expedience.
The problem of the PTIs has become legendary and thanks to the works of Mutalib M. D. and Dr. Chong Eng Leong, we know this is not just a fourth-stage cancer. Sabah is sitting on this time bomb which is waiting to explode! And the federal government’s suspicious method of solving the problem with the 5P Registration method is not working. How many illegals have been sent home although we have registered hundreds of thousands of them?
What is going on behind it all? Why haven’t we heard anymore about it? Salleh cannot deny that the PTIs are still the mother of all problems in Sabah!
Sabah on the right track? After 48 years with BN, Sabah has become the poorest in Malaysia although it was endowed with rich natural resources.
What happened? Where have all the forests gone? Answer: To the casinos of Genting, Macau, Hong Kong and Manila.
Who got all the wealth of gold and other metals from the infamous Mamut Copper Mine?
Answer: The Japanese!
Who is reaping the majority share of the huge Sabah Forest Industries in Sipitang? The Indians, with Ballarpur Industries holding a superlion share of 97.8 percent since March 2007. (BPH is wholly owned by Ballarpur International Holdings NV, which in turn is owned by BILT (80%) and JP Morgan (20%).
We are surviving by importing 70% of our food supplies! So, I beg Salleh to explain what he means by “lifestyles have improved.”
Who owns lands in Sabah several times the size of Singapore and got it without state cabinet approval?
Answer: Felda. Who takes our income taxes, service taxes, parking offence compounds and penalties?
Answer: The Federal government, to the tune of around RM19 billion per year (for taxes only), and that calculates to about RM95 in five years. And how much were we allocated for development fund under the five-year 10th Malaysia Plan? RM9 billion with Sarawak and Sabah combined!
Datuk, are we on the right track? Over the last few years, especially after Umno took over Sabah in 1994, tens of thousands of Sabahan youths have gone to Singapore and the Peninsular to try to make decent livelihoods. We have a very high unemployment rate! A recent job fair organized by the government caused an embarrassment to the BN because tens of thousands came like hungry wolves trying to get only a few jobs. All those news about job creations and job offers, and blaming youths for being choosy are just propaganda and people are tired of it.
A hotel doorman in Kota Kinabalu makes about RM600, but if he did the same work in Kuala Lumpur he can make RM2,000 plus, even more in Singapore. Why? Because the economy of Sabah had long gone to the dogs!
We have a runaway inflation, which the BN keeps justifying as “tidak membebankan pengguna (not burdening the consumers).” People are suffering even with a salary of RM2,500, let alone those with less, and the worst affected are the kampung people who never get any salary raises because they have no salaries!
And yet they still have to pay for the higher petrol and cost of transport. Sabah's GDP at 5% per annum is the lowest in the nation and we have been running on deficit budgets for the last 13 years! We are debt ridden! And with all these happening we don’t see any clear light at the end of the long dark tunnel.
We have been promised that poverty would be ended in Sabah by the end of last year. Instead the government found out there were even more poor people than they thought! We have been promised Sabah will achieve a developed status by 2015 but at the way things are going this is not going to happen, not even by 2020.
Salleh wants was to see Sabah become stronger economically, politically and culturally and staying within the federation. But with the strong economic colonialism of the Peninsular over Sabah, especially with the repressive cabotage policy in place and lack of Borneonization, how are we going to be economically stronger?
How do we become politically stronger with Umno controlling everything here? Does political strength mean Umno strength of control and dominance?
If even the local BN components are just stooges, what political strength for Sabah do we have? And about becoming culturally strong, what does that mean?
Even the Pesta Kaamatan is being controlled by Umno, even by leaders who have no KDM blood, to the point of excluding the Huguan Siou in the ceremonies! This talk about cultural development is all lies.
What is real is that the Malay supremacy is being applied in Sabah, with employments in the public sector is biased to certain groups, so is that what Salleh means by Sabah becoming culturally strong?
We don’t need all these sweet talks which are made just for the sake of propaganda. What we need is solid results which can be backed up by real figures, and outputs and growths which we can feel in our stomachs.
DANIEL JOHN JAMBUN
Those problems that was faced by Sabahans should be resolved.
ReplyDeleteLess politicking and more actions now.
ReplyDeleteDon't implement NATO culture.
ReplyDeletememang sukar memuaskan hati semua orang..pasti ada yang suka dan ada yang mengkritik apa yang telah dicapai.
ReplyDeleteapa pun, usaha untuk menyelesaikan sebarang isu dan usaha membangunkan Sabah perlu sentiasa dilakukan sepanjang masa.
ReplyDeleteUMNO mesti dihalau keluar dari Sabah. Tiada UMNO, tiada PATI.
ReplyDeleteDatuk Salleh is just being optimistic when he gave his statement. But honestly, its still too early to say.
ReplyDeletedatuk salleh only a clown to umno. Give me back my SAS money salleh bin palui
ReplyDeletesolve those issues that sabah is facing first. THen only we can say sabah is on the right track.
ReplyDeleteFor what had happened, it is fault of the past leader!
ReplyDeleteIs it a threat?
ReplyDeleteI also wonder how can Sabah be the poorest state but they are rich with that resources....
ReplyDeleteBut how poor the Sabahans is, they still develop and going to fight the poverty line.
ReplyDeleteHidup ini hanya sementara. Perjuangan pun akan terhenti jua.
ReplyDeleteSabah became the poorest state was bcos of the MOST CORRUPTED pakistan CM Musang Bin Tidak aman.
ReplyDeletesemoga 20 Perkara tersebut dipenuhi. pasti penyelesaian masalah2 yang dihadapi sekarang dapat dicari.
ReplyDeletesemoga semua parti malaya umno dan PR dihalau keluar dari Sabah dalam pru13. Yakin semua masalah2 Sabah selesai.
ReplyDeleteLain orang lain pandangannya... Cuma saya percaya rakyat pasti mahukan Sabah terus membangun:)
ReplyDeleteJusteru, semua pihak harus berusaha dan pastikan kebajikan rakyat dalam semua aspek diutamakan.
ReplyDeleteSeperti mana Gin, saya pun rasa Datuk Salleh terlalu optimis dalam meluahkan kenyataannya sedangan senario sebenar, masih banyak hal yang perlu diberi perhatian terlebih dahulu.
ReplyDeleteNamun tidak ada mustahil untuk berkembang maju jika smeu apihak bagi kerjasama yang baik.
ReplyDeleteApapun, paling penting setiap pemimpin harus jalankan t/jawab mereka dengan sempurna demi membuktikann pada rakyat kempimpinan mereka.
ReplyDeleteapaun, teruskan usaha untuk membangunkan lagi Sabah.
ReplyDeleteSalleh must be enjoying the treatment from UMNO as if he is not living in Sabah but fantasy land in kl. Sabah has never being on track in development and State economy has always been left behind from other states. Our natural resources are not under State control and are being siphoned to west malaysia for the developments of malaya.
ReplyDeleteHowever, Sabah has been 'rewarded' with PTI, many other cancerous problems & being made the poorest state by the Federal Govt.
Only a moron / idiot would think that Sabah has achieved tremendous developments since joining to form malaysia & this is a pure white lair.
How can Sabah to be a progressive state if our Sabah BN with such subservient mentality to their master from KL?
ReplyDeletesabah sedang membangun... setiap orang ada pendapat masing2..pemimpin kita telah menjalan kn tugas yg baik..
ReplyDeleteSabah dalam landasan pembangunan yang betul sekarang ini. Pasti Pembangkang akan menafikannya supaya sokongan kepada kerajaan berkurangan. Tapi rasanya itu tidak akan terjadi kerana rakyat sendiri merasakan pembangunan yang ada sekarang ini.
ReplyDeleteSekarang ini pemimpin Sabah cuba untuk memperjuangkan 20 perkara yang patut milik Sabah.
ReplyDeleteSekarang kerajaan cuba mengusahakan pelbagai program untuk memastikan PATI dapat ditangani di Sabah. Program 5P mungkin masih dilaksanakan tapi kurang berkesan kerana ada PATI yang tidak mahu balik ke Negara asal mereka. Maka pihak berkuasa haruslah tegas menangani perkara sebegini.
ReplyDeleteMasalah PATI, hanya dengan menubuh RCI dapat memuaskan hati rakyat Sabah tetapi di tolak oleh UMNO. Kenapa? Tanya diri sendiri.
ReplyDeleteMasalah PTI di Sabah sekarang ini memang tdk boleh diselesaikan sdh kerana sdh sampai di tahap ACUTE. Ia boleh diselesaikan jika berlaku MUKJIZAT sahaja. Begitu teruknya keadaannya di Sabah which is sangat berjaya bagi UMNO. DGN keadaan ini , tda apa lagi yg boleh dilakukan oleh rakyat Sabah kecuali hanya bercakap sesama sendiri kerana berapa banyak dan hebatpun cadangan dan pendapat kita tiada seorang pun pemimpin kita yg mahu mendengar atau bertindak. Kalau setakat seorang dua saja pemimpin yg sedar sedangkan yg majoriti masih dibuai dgn ketamakan, maka sampai kiamatpun keadaan ini akan berterusan dan tidak mustahil bahawa satu masa nanti sudah tidak ada lagi kaum2 asli di Sabah kerana pada waktu itu semua kaum di Sabah sudah bertukar menjadi Melayu dan yg paling sedih lagi ialag pada waktu itu, kaum2 asli Sabah menjadi pelarian ditempat sendiri sedangkan yg berbangsa Melayu palsu akan menguasai semua bidang termasuk tanah2 tersubur di sabah. Pada tahun 1970an..ada beberapa pemimpin membuat futuristic andaian bahawa dalam tempoh 10 tahun, bumi Sabah akan dipenuhi PTI di mana ia menjadi kenyataan lebih awal dari yg diandaikan kerana para pemimpin TAMAK yg tdk mendengar dan tdk mahu berbuat apa2 pada waktu itu. 5P?6? Itu hanyalah mempermudahkan para PTI ini untuk mendapatkan keistimewaan di bumi Sabah. Budak tahun satu pun faham dengan taktik UMNO & BN.
ReplyDeleteWe are no longer safe :(
ReplyDeleteWe need more power...there's a lot of things to do to remove this bomb.
ReplyDeleteMore actions should be taken now!!
ReplyDeleteOur state always on the wrong track...sighhhh
ReplyDeleteIf our government don't do something more "worthy", then we're totally sitting on a bomb that's about to blow up..
ReplyDeletesabah kini kian membangun...namun masih ada perkara2 yang memerlukan perhatian khusus untuk diselesaikan..
ReplyDeleteuntuk memastikan sabah sentiasa dalam landasan yang betul, maka kerjasama dari semua pihak adalah perlu..
ReplyDeleteisu2 yang membebankan rakyat sabah seperti kemiskinan, PATI dsbgnya harus diselesaikan segera secara mutlak...dengan ini, rakyat akan hidup dengan lebih sejahtera lagi..
ReplyDeletesetiap orang ada pendapatnya masing2...salleh telah menyatakan pendapatnya dan daniel juga telah menyatakan pendapatnya..namun, bercakap banyak tidak akan membawa sabah ke mana2..yang perlu ialah tindakan...
ReplyDeletediharapkan pemimpin2 sabah baik kerajaan mahupun bukan kerajaan/pembangkang bukan hanya tahu bercakap saja tetapi mentafsirkannya kepada bentuk tindakan yang berkesan untuk memastikan sabah dalam landasan yang betul..
ReplyDeleteEvery leader is talking the same thing, yet nothing comes up.
ReplyDeleteEntahlah, Sabah ni memang sudah ada kemajuan tapi bila Sabah sudah gah sikit, mesti kena rampas hak.
ReplyDeleteDon't blame the people, blame on the ketua who fail to do the job.
ReplyDeleteSabah is developing? Develop what? All the shopping mall and real estates were invested by private sector.
ReplyDeleteWhat is musang bin tidak aman did for the past 9 years? Basic utilities also problems and furthermore he even approved it to increase the power tariffs continue to oppress the poor.
Road from KK to Tawau like a jalan kerbau. Those UMNO lickers go to eat musa shits lah.
Sabah still low in progress and development as compare. The riches resources doesn't help for the development and expansion.
ReplyDeleteJika Sabah berhasrat untuk berkembang, policy and terms yang tidak memanfaat dan membebankan, seharus dikaji dan dimansurkan. Seperti loyalties, cabotage dll.
ReplyDeleteSabah just on the starting point.. havent go onto the track yet.. Looking the situation and low economy grow here, the government has needed to put more efforts and time to resolve many long pending issues.
ReplyDeleteKalau beringinan bermaju dan berkembang, harus bijak memilih dan menilai dan seida menerima dan menghadapi perubahan.
ReplyDeleteHarga barangan di Sabah teramat tinggi jika dibandingkan di Semenanjung. Semoga kerajaan merancang untuk menyelesaikan ketidakseimbangan harga barangan termasuk minyak, makanan, barang runcit dll. Kos pengangkutan berkemungkinan puncanya.
ReplyDeletebagaimana mahu turun kos pengankutan jika satu jalan raya bagus pun tiada dari KK pergi tawau?
ReplyDeleteKeretapi pun tidak boleh pakai dan beli 2nd hand dari china walaupun berjuta-juta diperuntukan. Duit mana pergi?
Inilah kerja keluarga musang bin tidak aman tahu saja KOREK KOREK KOREK! Kamu tunggu saja ketulahan kamu musang bin tidak aman. Allahku tahu kerja dosa kamu.
anggap la hanya pembangkang sahaja yang mampu menyelesaikan masalah ini walaupun mereka pernah mentabir negeri ini dengan begitu teruk dan menimbulkan banyak masalah kepada rakyat sabah hanya dalam masa dua tahun..
ReplyDelete"Now there has been a discovery of a field with a stock of US500 billion worth of gas in Sabah waters, and the frustration is that it is even this will not be under our control."
ReplyDeleteThe revenue made by Sabah resources should by right to invest for the development plan in Sabah too. We are not suppose to be as what we are now.
Perkembangan infrastruktur Sabah masih tidak wajar dan kerajaan seharus membaikinya. Ketidaksempurna infra akan menyebabkan kos pengangkutan bertambah secara langsungnya.
ReplyDeleteDepends how they defined "on track". To a lot of people of Sabah, we are still long long way to go. People are still suffering for low economy growth, incomplete infrastructure system poverty, unemployment, illegal immigrants etc.
ReplyDeleteBetul katanya, kami berada di titik permulaan sahaja. Banyak lagi perlu diusahakannya.
ReplyDeleteJiak BN tidak sedia berubah, begini lar rupanya Sabah sampai bila-bila pun. Rakyat dah bersedia berubah, BN juga perlu bersedia.
ReplyDelete