PAPAR: Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) denies that the state is being used as a laboratory rat to test the cooperation between BN and Pakatan Harapan (PH) in facing the upcoming state elections.
Sabah BN Chairman, Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, said that the allegations regarding the matter arose due to a misunderstanding of the true meaning of the term ‘laboratory’ in the context of BN-PH cooperation in Sabah.
He said that the BN-PH cooperation is not new, as it has already occurred in several by-elections in Peninsular Malaysia and is now set to continue in the 17th Sabah State Election.
“He actually doesn’t understand because this BN-PH cooperation is not something new; it has already happened in four or five by-elections.” So Sabah is not a sudden participant in a laboratory rat experiment.
“It is an understanding to ensure our government remains stable no matter where.” So, in Sabah, UMNO, BN, and PH won’t clash again.
“Of course, it will lead to political stability, and clearly, as the leader of UMNO in Sabah, I am a Sabahan; why would I want to embarrass the people of Sabah?” he said when meeting at the UMNO Sabah Gerak17 program for the Pantai Manis area here on Sunday.
Bung, who is also the Sabah UMNO Chief, said this when asked to comment on the recent statement by the Secretary-General of the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, who disagreed with Sabah being made a testing ground for political cooperation in facing the elections.
Masidi, among other things, considers the matter as if it makes Sabah a lab rat, which is seen as belittling or humiliating the people of this state.
It refers to the statement by the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, earlier, who mentioned that the Sabah PRN17 would serve as a testing ground for the BN-PH cooperation in facing the upcoming elections.
Bung Moktar said that Ahmad Zahid’s true intention was to focus on the political strategies of BN and PH in facing the upcoming elections, without any intention to embarrass the people of Sabah.
“I don’t understand why Masidi said it was embarrassing for the people of Sabah, as if the people of Sabah were being used as lab rats.” For me, that statement is from someone who does not understand politics because politics requires strategy.
“Some strategies need to be presented for public knowledge, while others do not need to be known by the public.”
“So, the strategy of BN and PH is to cooperate. If he (GRS) intends to cooperate, he can join, but there must be sincerity. If there is no sincerity, then there’s no need to enter and betray; just compete on your own,” he said.
The Kinabatangan Member of Parliament opined that, based on Masidi’s statement, his intention was to avoid a clash between GRS and BN-PH in the 17th State Election.
“Because for him, he wants PH to fight with BN, but it doesn’t make sense.” Maybe the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister can argue over one state, but are we willing to lose the country because of one state? Of course not.
“So, I see Masidi’s statement as that of a disappointed person and perhaps also due to age factors.
. “So I advise Masidi to retire (from politics),” he said.
