By Daniel John Jambun, Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo)
KOTA KINABALU: Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo) expresses serious outrage and disappointment over reports that the GRS Government is reluctant to provide the estimated RM500,000 required to support the legal action involving Sabah’s continental shelf rights.
Let us be absolutely clear:
This is not an ordinary legal dispute.
This concerns Sabah’s territorial rights, maritime boundaries, offshore resources, sovereign interests, and future economic control.
And yet the Sabah Government behaves as though defending Sabah is an inconvenience.
1. SABAH IS RICH IN RESOURCES — BUT POOR IN POLITICAL COURAGE
The irony is staggering.
The same Government that constantly boasts about:
billion-ringgit investments
mega development plans
oil and gas ambitions
blue economy strategies
resource-driven growth
suddenly becomes hesitant when asked to spend RM500,000 defending Sabah’s rights.
RM500,000?
That amount is microscopic compared to the value of Sabah’s offshore resources and continental shelf interests.
What exactly is GRS afraid of?
Because if the Government cannot even finance a strategic legal battle involving Sabah’s territorial and resource rights, then all their speeches about “protecting Sabah” amount to nothing more than political theatre.
2. WHY MUST CIVIL SOCIETY FIGHT WHILE THE GOVERNMENT HIDES?
If SABAR is forced to independently raise funds to pursue this legal challenge, then Sabahans are entitled to ask a serious question:
Where is the Government?
Why are activists, lawyers, and ordinary Sabahans carrying burdens that should be carried by the State itself?
The Sabah Government was elected to defend Sabah’s interests.
Not to remain silent while others do the fighting.
This is precisely why many Sabahans increasingly believe:
civil society now has more courage than elected leaders
NGOs are speaking louder than ministers
ordinary citizens are more prepared to defend Sabah than those holding office
3. GRS CANNOT SHOUT “SABAH RIGHTS” ONLY DURING CEREMONIES AND ELECTIONS
GRS leaders frequently speak about:
MA63
autonomy
Sabah rights
resource control
“Sabah First”
But when a real legal confrontation emerges involving Sabah’s maritime and territorial rights, suddenly:
hesitation appears
silence appears
excuses appear
This exposes an uncomfortable truth:
Some politicians only love “Sabah rights” during press conferences and election campaigns.
Real battles require political courage.
And courage cannot be replaced with slogans.
4. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF ACRES, MINING CONCESSIONS, AND EVEN 100-YEAR TIMBER DEALS — BUT RM500,000 FOR SABAH IS A PROBLEM?
What makes this situation even more outrageous is the wider political reality Sabahans have witnessed for years.
Under successive administrations, Sabah’s natural wealth has repeatedly been placed into the hands of:
politically connected corporate interests
major concession holders
resource-linked elites
through:
massive mining approvals
hundreds of thousands of acres linked to extraction activities
long-term timber concessions reportedly stretching up to 100 years
Yet when the issue concerns defending Sabah’s continental shelf rights against the Federal Government, suddenly RM500,000 becomes “difficult.”
Sabahans are not blind to this contradiction.
If the Government truly wanted to support this legal battle, it could easily mobilise support from the same corporate beneficiaries and concession-linked interests that have profited enormously from Sabah’s resources.
After all, those who benefited from Sabah’s wealth should also contribute toward defending Sabah’s sovereign and territorial interests.
Or is Sabah only valuable when resources are extracted — but not when Sabah’s rights must be defended?
This is why public distrust is deepening.
Many Sabahans increasingly feel:
Sabah’s resources are quickly distributed
concessions are easily approved
connected interests are protected
but when it comes to defending Sabah itself, the Government suddenly becomes hesitant, cautious, and financially “limited.”
That is not leadership.
That is political cowardice wrapped in Sabah nationalism.
5. WHAT IS THE VALUE OF A GOVERNMENT THAT REFUSES TO DEFEND ITS OWN TERRITORY?
Let us speak honestly.
If a State Government is reluctant to spend RM500,000 defending matters connected to Sabah’s continental shelf and sovereign resource interests, then Sabahans are entitled to ask:
What exactly is the purpose of having a State Government at all?
Because defending Sabah’s territorial interests is not optional.
It is one of the most fundamental responsibilities of any government claiming to represent Sabah.
6. HISTORY WILL REMEMBER WHO FOUGHT — AND WHO HID
When future generations look back at this struggle, they will remember:
who stood up
who financed the fight
who defended Sabah’s rights
who remained silent
who hesitated
who acted as though protecting Sabah was financially inconvenient
RM500,000 is not the scandal.
The real scandal is a Sabah Government that appears reluctant to defend Sabah unless the political risk is low and the cameras are present.
SABAHANS MUST WAKE UP
Sabah cannot continue relying on leaders who:
wave the Sabah flag during political events
invoke MA63 during elections
shout “Sabah First” during speeches
but become timid when genuine confrontation with Putrajaya begins.
Sabah does not need symbolic nationalism.
Sabah needs leadership with backbone.
