By Remy Majangkim, MA63 Activist, Tutor and Historian
KOTA KINABALU: Good day and good luck to all of you. The state election in Sabah is less than two years away and may even be next year. The democratic process is a prerequisite for the right to vote.
Only your opinion, your aspiration and the historical work of such a political party will determine who you will vote for and why.
Sabah politics is not for the faint-hearted, but rather has been shaped over the years by various political parties trying new methods for improvement or keeping us lagging behind.
We are a dynamic entity compared to our Borneo neighbours.
Before Warisan led the state government with PH 1.0, Sabah politics dominated primarily on the Malayan exegesis of Sabah.
We were forced into the rotation system and the end of it. At this point, the people of Sabah can be seen exasperated, wanting a new change. Warisan enters the picture and wins the state election.
For the first time, Sabahan in general felt that we were running through a self-autonomous government or de jure in Latin.
The Sabah State Government then insisted that our state was not in the same position as any other states in Malaya. We are the founding members of Malaysia and should be treated with respect.
What have the last 26 months of Warisan’s contributions been? The top three contributions to the people of Sabah are shown below.
(a) improving the Sabah Land Ordinance by clarifying the meaning of the Continental Shelf as stipulated in the order of the North BORNEO (ALTERATION OF BOUNDARIES) order in the council, 1954. Our extended land mass, full of Petroluem.
(b) The Warisan-led government has successfully sorted 17 out of 21 rights to be returned to Sabah, the remaining 4 are the rights of Petroluem.
(c) Finally, Native land applicants got their land title they have waited for decades or more.
These are among the highlights achieved by Warisan. As you remember, during the Covid lockdown, the Federal Government was hijacked after Shereton moves this lead up to the new Federal Government under the helm of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
The state of Sabah faces similar conundrum as defection plagues among ADUN of Sabah through their greed and position of power.
The Chief Minister has no recourse but to do the right thing by calling a snap election in 2020.
After the state election was held, the winner was announced by Yang di Pertuan Negeri, thus Datuk Hajiji Noor of Sulaman becomes the 16th Chief Minister of Sabah and takes office from 29 September 2020 to today.
Interestingly, the current state government of Sabah is the product of the failed federal government that reinvented themselves after the last COVID lockdown and slid a new hand with the unity government. Although Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) has thrown full support to the creation of the unity government after the country’s general election, the same people are at the command.
What has Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) achieved since being in power for the past 38 months (November 2023)?
(1) The Cabinet Minister saw fit to increase their salary during the Covid lockdown.
(2) The native who meets the criteria for native lands under the Sabah Land Ordinance was pushed over in favour of a company, some that recently applied the said lands.
(3) Several announcements of billions of ringgit worth of foreign investment pouring into the state, but without any sign of spilling over on the ground.
(4) Sabahan lied about that Malaysia Agreement 1963, it would be solved in 6 months. After the statement, there was no movement.
There is no doubt that a big-tent political party will dominate the upcoming Sabah State Election.
There are various proposals from Warisan teaming up with UMNO/BN and STAR with PBS. These political groupings need not only to address the cost of goods and higher cost of living but also to work together in softening the people’s struggle. Stop playing politics when you are in power.
But what about smaller political parties? Do they have a role for their constituents? By virtue of check and balance, small political parties like KDM, UPKO and Kerjasama have an important role to play. Ideally, any Malayan-based political party should not meddle in our affairs, let our local party lead the way.
There are several factors that cause the fall of any government;
(1) discontent among the people and a sense of unease.
(2) the current state government has not upheld our basic rights and amenities.
(3) Lost opportunity and failure to reinvent after the Covid Lockdown.
(4) The fight for Sabah rights under the 1963 Malaysia Agreement was ignored.
Politicians’ role in any political party must inspire confidence, reassurance, wisdom, maturity, tenacity and constraint to the people of Sabah. You have been elected to lead our state, and you must do it with honor and truth.
Everyone has unique ability, and those who have such ability should be given an opportunity to serve the state.
