BN says Sabah, Sarawak to be sidelined under Pakatan rule

By Clara Chooi

June 20, 2011

The Kota Belud MP cited the appointment of Dr Wan Azizah as head of PKR Sabah as an example of what could come should PR run Sabah. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, June 20 — A Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) leader today cast doubt on PKR’s sincerity in protecting the autonomy of east Malaysian states, pointing to how the party has been purportedly sidelining its own state leaders.

Sabah BN secretary Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan wrote in an article today that PKR’s treatment of its local members offered a snapshot of how Pakatan Rakyat (PR) would run the state should it capture Putrajaya in the coming polls, said to take place by next year.

As an example, Abdul Rahman cited how peninsula-based PKR president Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail had been appointed recently to run the party’s state chapter to resolve a leadership crisis ahead of the coming general election.

“The appointment of Dr Wan Azizah as the head of PKR Sabah was seen by a lot of Sabahans as done at the expense of local leaders, as it was the case with (PKR deputy president) Azmin Ali before that.

“Why did PKR sideline prominent Sabahans like Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, Christina Liew, Tamrin Jaini and Ansari Abdullah? Does it mean after 12 years in Sabah, PKR could not find one single Sabahan worth his salt to be Sabah PKR leader? Must it be ‘Orang Malaya’?” he added.

Abdul Rahman also revisited accusations that PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Azmin and PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution had rigged the Sabah PKR divisional polls last year.

“These leaders said that PKR was disrespectful to Sabahans and that PKR had trampled upon the rights of Sabahans to freely decide on their own. So while we wait for that magical Putrajaya moment, a lot of people ask why did PKR keep on marginalising, demonising and undermining their own Sabahan PKR leaders?” he said.

The Kota Belud MP, who was writing today to rebut an opinion piece penned by PKR communications director Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and published on this website on Saturday, also denied talk that BN had a “stranglehold” over Sabah.

In his article, Nik Nazmi had declared it his responsibility as a Malaysian to defend the special powers accorded to Sabah and Sarawak as enshrined in the Malaysia agreement, claiming it to be just as important as the special position of the Bumiputeras, Islam, Bahasa Malaysia and the Malay Rulers.

Nik Nazmi had also described BN’s power over Sabah and Sarawak as a “stranglehold” and blamed the ruling coalition for the lack of development in both resource-rich states.

But Abdul Rahman scoffed at this and described Sabahans as the most politically aware community in Malaysia who have no qualms about changing governments, which they had done in four separate general elections since independence.

“It may interest him (Nik Nazmi) that in the whole of Malaysia, Sabahans are the most conscious of their democratic rights. Since independence, Sabahans have changed governments four times and had 13 Chief Ministers from Christian Bumiputeras, Muslim Bumiputeras and the Chinese ethnic groups and whose religions were Islam, Christianity and Taoism,” he said.

Abdul Rahman added it was due to BN’s competency, its “far-sighted” economic blueprint and ability to protect the welfare of the local communities that Sabahans had voted the coalition into power during Election 2008.

“I believe Sabahans would have voted BN out in the previous general elections, just as what they had done to USNO, Berjaya and PBS if they felt BN had a stranglehold over Sabah. No state government could stranglehold Sabahans ... if they do, they would be shown the exit,” he said.

Abdul Rahman also reminded the party of Anwar’s promise to appoint a Sabahan to the post of deputy prime minister should PR claim Putrajaya and questioned why the pledge was not recorded in the pact’s 100-day reform promise booklet, also known as the “Buku Jingga”.