KOTA KINABALU: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has cautioned representatives from Sabah against manipulating public sentiments regarding the RM16 billion expenditure allocated to the state.
He emphasised that discussions have taken place between the federal and state governments to address the longstanding issues in Sabah.
Anwar, who is also the President of the People’s Justice Party (PKR), made these remarks during the Sabah PKR convention.
“I understand that in the Peninsula, they keep on cursing about race, religion, we are not Malay, we are not Islamic, does he think only his face is Malay and Islamic, not us?
“This is a bad behavior in our politics. In Sabah, we also have it, we love Sabah, others don’t, ” he said.
As such, Anwar urged political leaders to refrain from divisive behaviour and called for cooperation in resolving the challenges faced by the people of Sabah.
He also called on the representatives of the state to allow the government space to address these issues.
“Give space, this state has many people who are struggling, still unemployed, the roads are full of potholes, so I and the leadership want to resolve this.
“When I announced during the Harvest Festival, the expenditure for one year reached RM16 billion, there were representatives, members of parliament from the Unity government who questioned.
“You members of parliament should know how to read accounting books, if you don’t read, you are not qualified to be a member of parliament,” he retorted to certain parties who had previously spoken out about the allocation given to Sabah,” he said.
