KOTA KINABALU: The state government appears to be only using Pakatan Harapan (PH) to maintain power in order to ensure they continue to receive their entitlements from the federal government, said UMNO Putatan division chief Jeffrey Nor.
According to him, this is evident when UMNO, which is a partner in the Perikatan government, is denied the right to receive allocations for state assemblymen.
Jeffrey, who is also the Sabah UMNO Election Director, also criticised statements, alleging that UMNO is using ‘divide and rule’ tactics in Sabah.
“I want to state that all JKKK positions, village chiefs, and various positions from MAHEINS and UPPM are all monopolised among them only (majority GRS), and all UMNO members have been dismissed.
“Do they forget that the formation of this state government was initially between BN Sabah and BERSATU? So the current Chief Minister comes from that cooperation,” he said in a statement today.
Previously, several leaders of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) criticised the justification for the creation of the Federal’s Village Development Committee (PJKD) positions and described it as a method of ruling through division and rule.
In defending the establishment of the PJKD positions, Jeffrey said they may have forgotten that they had declared support for the Unity government even “initially after the general elections they declared support for the Perikatan Nasional (PN).
“If there is indeed a spirit of unity in the government, why have all the coalition party members been denied their rights to contribute together in this state of Sabah?” he said.
He believes that the coalition parties in the Unity government, which are also present in Sabah, want to contribute to the state of Sabah.
“We are proud of all the positions that exist in the state that are administered in this state. It doesn’t matter; they appoint them all for them because that has already been done. Give these new positions to any other coalition party in the Unity government and let them contribute to the physical and social development in the beloved villages of Sabah,” he said.
He is confident that the people of Sabah are familiar with the leaders who were once in the UMNO/BN Sabah government 30 years ago.
“Almost 90 percent have been in their party; from positions in the villages, GLC Sabah, and even the state assemblymen, MPs, and cabinet ministers in Sabah, they are already in the other party. Do we want to blame the leaders at that time or the party?”
“All parties have their good ideologies; it is only the leaders who choose whether or not to follow the party’s ideology to contribute something to the people of Sabah.
“Now UMNO Sabah is led by Sabahans themselves, and almost 95 percent of the new faces are enthusiastic about helping and contributing something better to the people of Sabah.
“Enough of disrupting the commitment of the people of Sabah to achieve the best. Enough of accusing us of causing division and chaos,” he said.
Jeffrey said that the people of Sabah are tired of the political games and manoeuvres.
“The people of Sabah want honesty and sincerity in leadership. Enough of using the people of Sabah to gain power, and I am sure the people of Sabah are mature enough for the upcoming state elections,” he said.
