Jeffrey’s Borneo Agenda gets more supporters

The Borneo Agenda, flagged by United Borneo Front, is making an impression on Sabah's political landscape.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Peoples Progressive Party (SAPP) and Sabah PKR seems to have thrown their support behind Jeffrey Kitingan’s Borneo Agenda.

Judging by the response at a recent inter-party dialogue, Jeffrey’s United Borneo Front (UBF), which is is touting the Borneo Agenda, has made a mark on the political landscape of Sabah.

Several SAPP and Sabah PKR big-shots had turned up at the dialogue and seminar on Saturday endorsing their support of a Borneo Alliance, which UBF is scheming.

With SAPP and Sabah PKR joining the Borneo Agenda campaign, UBF now has three political allies to push for reform along with the Sarawak National Party (SNAP).

Noticeably missing at the dialogue, hwever, were Sabah DAP as well as Barisan Nasional coalition members – Parti Bersatu Sabah and Upko.

SAPP leader and former chief minister, Yong Teck Lee, who led party leaders to the dialogue, presented a talk on the special rights, autonomy and equal partnership status.

Among the SAPP leaders who attended were deputy president and Likas assemblyman Liew Teck Chan, women’s wing chief Melanie Chia, secretary-general Richard Yong and information chief Chong Pit Fah.

The seminar started with UBF founder and leader Jeffrey presenting a talk titled “Moving Forward with UBF”, followed by a panel discussion chaired by former Suhakam vice president Simon Sipaun.

The topics discussed at the dialogue covered a range of grievances felt by the Borneo states including non-compliance of the Malaysia Agreement, cabotage and unfair trade policies, land rights, revenue sharing, federal roles and parliamentary seats to name a few.

Common agenda

Christina Liew, deputy chairperson of Sabah PKR endorsed Yong’s call to the leaders and people of Sabah not to continue to fall for the federal leaders’ “divide-and-rule” tactics, and to stay unite to achieve their common agendas and goals.

“Let’s unite together for our common destiny. There should be no more fighting among the opposition. It has to be a one-to-one fight against the Barisan Nasional in the coming general election,” she urged.

Jeffrey earlier told participants that at least one BN party, Upko, had tentatively thrown their support for the Borneo Agenda but would not say whether it would work with UBF towards that goal.

PBS, which is led by his brother Joseph Pairin Kitingan, the state deputy chief minister, is still “malu-malu” (shy), he said.

Jeffrey also said that the UBF will remain a non-governmental organisation and will not be involved in politics to enable members from any political party to work with it.

However he added that “as far as I am concerned, I will eventually, maybe, have to form a political party or have a political vehicle…but that will not disturb the UBF. It will be done as soon as possible.” he said.

He said the important thing is to form the Borneo Alliance because “without that we will be playing sendiri-sendiri (play alone)… when what we need is to unite.”

Asked whether he was certain of not returning to PKR, Jeffrey said that what really mattered for him now is to strive to unite all political parties in the state and to forge a better cooperation with each other, in order to achieve the common objective and goal to bring about positive change to Sabah.

“God has given us the opportunity hence we must seize it; we, the leaders of the various political parties and the people of Sabah must unite to achieve our common goals, so that Sabah and Sarawak can be the deciding factor for the federal government in future, and so that we can achieve the Borneo Agenda.

“For me, political leaders in the state, regardless of their parties must unite, let bygone be bygone, we must unite to save the state,” he stressed, adding that this was also the rationale behind the organizing of the seminar. - FMT