KOTA KINABALU: Putatan UMNO Chief Jeffrey Nor has described Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia’s article titled ‘Bangau oh Bangau’, blaming the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) government for the current issues faced by the people of Sabah as “amusing”.
Reflecting on political history, Jeffrey, who is also the Sabah UMNO Election Director, said Pandikar should realise that he was also part of the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) government.
“I also want to ask who is at fault, the party or the leader of the party.
“He (Tan Sri) himself held the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives during the previous BN government era. As a former speaker, Pandikar should understand the meaning of the ‘opposition’ bloc and the ‘government’ bloc.
Jeffrey emphasised that both blocs have their respective roles in a country that practices democracy.
“To develop this state, constructive criticisms are essential to find the best solutions.
“I am sure Pandikar fully understands the difference between having power and not having power…it is easy to know that those in power should accept constructive criticism as a guide, while those without power provide the best criticism to be used as additional input to develop our state.
“In today’s rapidly changing political landscape, criticisms on social media demand us to be patient, resilient, and wise in facing these criticisms,” he said.
Jeffrey also questioned whether Pandikar can refer to the Sabah state government as a unity government or just the GRS – PH government.
He said that the issue of support at the Federal level is different.
“At the state level in Sabah, people are wondering whether the existing state government fundamentally supports the unity government or vice versa because there is a GRS Deputy Chairman who supports Perikatan Nasional (PN),” he said, referring to the ‘politics of two ponds’.
