Sabah – where some are more equal than others

By Queville To

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah DAP has criticised Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan for beating the 1Malaysia drumbeat but at the same time failing to support the rights of Sino-natives.

Party secretary Dr Edwin Bosi said the newly-formed Sabah Sino-natives Association (SSNA) is nothing but a PBS and Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA) tool to control Sino-natives.

"PBS information chief Johnny Mositun’s statement that 'Sinos don’t need DAP’s help' is like letting the cat out of the bag,” said Bosi.

He was responding to Mositun’s statement on Christmas eve defending the appointment of Inanam assemblyman, Johnny Goh, who is also a PBS leader as SSNA president .

Mositun, who is also Sabah State Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker, had said that Bosi seemed unable to come to terms with the fact that the Sino-natives of Sabah were fully capable of fighting for their own interests without interference from politicians.

Bosi said that the PBS leadership, which had turned its back on natives of mixed parentage, was contradicting itself when it had allowed one of its own leaders to helm the association.

The exchange of barbs between the two parties began after the “native” status of Sabah DAP chief- cum-Tanjung Kapor assemblyman Jimmy Wong became an issue after it was raised in the State Legislative Assembly by the Barisan Nasional (BN) representative from Sekong, Samsudin Yahya, in November last year.

New twist to saga

The fallout from the controversy caused Pairin, who is also the KDCA president and paramount leader or Huguan Siou of the Kadazandusun community, being singled out for failing to speak up for the rights of natives.

Bosi pointed out that while the issuance of the native certificate was frozen by the Berjaya government in 1982, the PBS administration had done nothing to help such natives during its nine-year rule after taking over the helm of the state from Berjaya in 1985.

He said the current Umno-led BN government is out on a witch hunt because some in the community dare to question their rule.

"Wong is their first victim,” he said.

However, Wong's native rights saga will take another twist when he turns to SSNA for help on the advice of Mositun.

“Wong will submit his application form to be a member soon,” Bosi said.

“All along Wong has said he is proud to be a Sino-Kadazan and has a native heritage,” he said.

Now led by a PBS leader, SSNA will have to get the backing of the second most powerful BN party to lift the freeze on issuance of native certificate immediately to declare those of mixed-native parentage worthy of native rights.

“This will allow thousands of Sino-natives and children of mixed marriages between native and non-native to acquire native certificates, so that they can exercise their rights and privileges.”

The association must also work hard to see the lifting of the Native Court to be equal to that of the Civil and Syariah Courts,” Bosi said.