By Writer and Political Analyst Musli Oli
KOTA KINABALU: In Sarawak, when the state election or general election comes, we rarely hear the slogan ‘Sarawak for Sarawakians’.
Although there is no such slogan, almost 100% of the heads of federal departments in Sarawak are from the local Sarawakian community. Children of Sarawak studying at public universities receive various facilities from the state government.
Sabah for Sabahan is actually not a new slogan. The slogan often echoes every time political leaders want to gain support without needing a large investment.
With just the capital of sentiment and emotion, that slogan once toppled a wealthy political party and a state government supported ‘sink or swim’ by the Federal government.
The events of 1985 have made that slogan resonate again today to rekindle the spirit of the people who are being squeezed by poverty, facing severe basic problems, frequent disruptions in water and electricity supply, difficulties in finding jobs, and various life challenges.
There is no better way to placate the angry public than by diverting their attention to the fact that the problems they are facing are not the state government’s fault but rather the fault of outsiders! The mischief of the parties from Malaya and the leaders of the Federation.
The truth is that what is implied in that slogan is not fulfilled by the leaders of Sabah themselves when they are comfortably in power.
For example, the appointment of senior positions in the government has seen an agreement in the distribution of these positions to the main ethnic groups – Muslim Bumiputera and the KadazandusunMurut tribe.
This is not a written agreement but a gentle agreement that our leaders today have overlooked despite supposedly championing the slogan Sabah for Sabahan.
During the negotiations for independence, there was an understanding between the founding fathers such as Donald Stephen and Datu Mustapha that if the Chief Minister represented the Kadazandusun community, then the Governor would be appointed from among the Muslim Bumiputera leaders.
Similarly, if CM is represented by a Muslim native, the TYT should be chosen from among the Kadazandusun Murut leaders. Not everything should be monopolised by one race.
The same goes for positions such as SUT, department head, and so on.
What is evident today is that senior positions like SUT and Director are monopolised by one race. So what’s the slogan for? To win the election and then throw it in the trash?
Even without the slogan “Sarawak for Sarawakians”, Sarawak thrives. What is rational behind the slogan “Sabah for Sabahans”? – Musli
