Media Statement by Datuk Azis Jamman,
Warisan Information Chief
KOTA KINABALU: In light of a recent statement by the GRS government claiming to be committed to transparency and progress, Warisan Information Chief, Datuk Azis Jamman questions why the coalition has repeatedly failed to provide clear and concise answers when issues on poor infrastructure and escalating living costs are raised at the assembly.
“If indeed they are committed to transparency and progress why are the people still crying out for basic needs such as clean and regular water supply, stable electricity and roads that are not full of potholes?
“If anything, the situation just keeps getting worse every single day. Just look at the plight of students at Universiti Malaysia Sabah. People in Sandakan have been getting salty water from their taps for more than a year now and a lorry driver died in an accident last week while avoiding potholes in Kinabatangan. These are just a few examples,” he said in a statement today.
Azis said it appears the GRS government is feeling the heat from the public as a result of their failure to address these problems and has resorted to diversionary tactics by putting the blame on the opposition.
Instead of issuing statements aimed to protect the image of his political masters, Azis recommends that GRS Information Chief, Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, should look at ways to help the people with their problems.
“Why has he never bothered to raise problems that impact the people directly? Is he even aware that so many Sabahans are grappling with life when food prices keep rising?
Talking about being fair and not resort to dirty politic? GRS should look their face in the mirror because it is GRS and their cybertroopers that play dirty politic, spreading lies and fake news.
In order to engage in “fair and truthful discourse” as stated by Joniston in his recent statement, GRS must also practise what they preach, said Azis.
“Who is playing dirty politics and accusing Warisan of being “Mesra PTI” and blaming Warisan as the cause of the illegal immigrant problem in Sabah when Joniston knows the fact that the issue of illegal immigrants has been Sabah’s biggest problem since PBS and Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan were in power.”
Accusations were made by GRS against Warisan before the 2020 state elections regarding the distribution of identity cards to illegal immigrants, resulting in potential security concerns for the state.
Subsequently, GRS leaders themselves admitted in the State Assembly that there was lack of evidence to support these allegations. But accusations had been made and a lot of people were duped into believing which resulted in PBS and Star winning seats at the last state elections.
“For me, that is “dirty tactics”. It is crucial to remember that it is unfair to resort to baseless claims when discussing vital issues such as this.”
“Moreover, GRS leaders accused Warisan of protecting illegal immigrants just because the then Warisan state government had agreed to proceed with the proposal of the Sabah Temporary Pass or Pas Sementara Sabah.
“This PSS was an extension of the Kad Residen Sabah which was proposed by your then President, Tan Sri Pairin when he was then the chairman of the technical committee for undocumented persons in Sabah during the BN-led government at both federal and state levels.
“We were accused and slandered for being “Mesra PTI” just because we agreed to continue the previous government’s proposal to solve the problem of undocumented persons in Sabah.
“Today, that policy now mirrors their own proposal in the form of the Foreigner Card or Kad Warga Asing. This further raises questions about the consistency of their claims.”
In addition, has Joniston forgotten that the then Home Minister Datuk Hamzah Zainudin had promised to eliminate kumpit (illegal immigrants) when campaigning for him in Kiulu in the 2020 elections? What has happened to that promise? How many kumpits has the GRS government deported so far?
“Furthermore, the use of cybertroopers to level drug cartel-related allegations against Warisan while disregarding similar accusations made against GRS exemplifies the coalition’s double standards.
What else? Claiming that Warisan president, Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal was born in Sulu and an agent of the Sulu Sultanate are just some of the wild allegations propagated by GRS.
“Yet the ones who invited the leaders of Sulu to Sabah were GRS leaders and they even had the cheek to invite them to the Chief Minister’s office. They signed MoUs with them and some of the GRS leaders even visited Sulu leaders in Philipines. These are a few of many examples on how lies and slander.were used by leaders of GRS and their cybertroopers to attack Warisan.
“Now you want to talk about being fair and telling the opposition to stop using dirty politics to win the elections? Stop being a hypocrite. Look in the mirror before asking the opposition to be fair and avoid dirty politics. It is GRS who should stop spreading lies and play dirty politic.”
Azis concurred it is essential for fairness and truthfulness in political discussions and therefore on the part of GRS, it should first admit its failures before any constructive effort can be made for the betterment of the community and the state. – Talanntang 18 January 2024
