GE-13 game changer: Sabahans now know they need Pakatan to break free from poverty

When Joseph Pairin Kitingan the founder and president of Parti Bersatu Sabah led his party out of the BN in 1985 he appointed his brother Jeffery Kitingan as the boss of Yayasan Sabah. This gave Joesph control over the two most important arms of government needed to stay in power - the political and financial arms of a state.

Yayasan Sabah controls almost all the forests in Sabah as well as many businesses, collecting a lot of revenue that were put at the disposal of Jeffery Kitingan. The two brothers wanted Sabah to be a state managed by Sabahans, with the Kadazan-Dusun-Murut community the largest stakeholders in determining the state's future and they even had a long-term goal of taking Sabah out of the Malaysian Federation.

Unfortunately, despite the maneuvering, the ultimate power is still with the UMNO-BN federal government. Pairin’s 9-year term as Chief Minister ended abruptly on 17 March 1994 when 26 of his assemblymen were enticed by UMNO to jump over to the BN, causing PBS to lose control of the state government. Pairin has long since given up the idea of an independent Sabah as much of its natural wealth has already been stolen. These have all been robbed by the previous state governments, Sabah politicians and their cronies. The state has been milked dry, so to speak.

Yong and Jeffrey

Two other leaders have of later been highlighted in the media.

Yong Teck Lee of the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) has no special vision of where to take Sabah. His critics say he is now eyeing the post of Chief Minister to enrich himself; an unfinished agenda when he was the rotational Chief Minister from 1996 to 1998 under the BN when Mahathir Mohamad was still the federal prime minister. Indeed, three years may not be enough to reap as much wealth from the state as UMNO has proven that even after five decades of stealing whatever Malaysia has is still not enough. UMNO still wants to cling on.

Dr Jeffery Kitingan is more ambitious. If a white man can be the Raja of Sarawak as in the Rajah Brooke’s case, why not a Sabah native like himself be the Raja of Sabah? Sarawak chief minister Taib Mahmud is a living example of being the 'Sultan of Sarawak' in all but name.  Jeffrey, who now heads the State Reform Party (STAR) is putting on his latest political cap after flirting in and out of at least six political parties in the past two decades. Unlike his mellowed brother, he still wants to take Sabah out of the Malaysian Federation and then turn the whole state into his own personal property.

Critics say both Yong Teck Lee and Jeffery Kitingan have found a way to achieve their separate selfish agendas by using Pakatan Rakyat. They are using the same trick as Pairin in 1985; jump onto the bandwagon and then jump ship midway. This is not in the best interest of Sabahans in particular, and Malaysians in general. The real agenda for Malaysia is to vote out the real thieves and bad guys -  the UMNO-BN and not carry unreliable leaders who can turn around and stab them in the back, like what UMNO's Zaid Ibrahim did to PKR.

What does Yong Teck Lee and Jeffrey themselves say? Well, Jeffrey has already left PKR in none too amicable terms. It is doubtful that Pakatan will accommodate his newly set-up STAR. As for Yong, SAPP too has had a tetchy on-off relationship with Pakatan.

But Sabahans need only to look back at Pairin, who tried to make “Sabah for Sabahans” but failed because Sabah was too poor, lacked development, infrastructure and industries. No doubt, Sabahans will say they are no better off now than before. But this is because Sabah was designed to be poor and backwards by their own politicians in cahoots with UMNO-BN. The purpose is easy to guess - so that the people of Sabah will forever be in need of federal support while Sabah's own leaders will be left to plunder to their hearts' content.

Game is changing and Sabahan must not be distracted by spoilers

Now, the game is changing. Pakatan Rakyat is poied to form the federal government. There is a new option for Sabahans. The state can be developed honestly and the people can expect a fair deal if Pakatan defeats UMNO-BN. They can be assured that they will protected from their own unscrupulous leaders trying gain riches at their expense. After all if the Kitingans had been true to Sabah, why is it still amongst the poorest states despite wealth of natural resources including precious oil?

In fact, to defeat UMNO-BN, all the opposition parties in Sabah should unite behind Pakatan and let that be the main agenda for now; catch the thieves and put them in jail. Refusal to put aside any personal agenda or interest is akin to supporting the continuation of the current vicious cycle.

Any bickering like asking for the lion’s share of seats to contest in should be stopped, with an understanding reached for a win-win situation. As it is now, with parties still unhappy and discontented with their share of the pie, the situation will only make it easier for UMNO-BN to continue controlling Sabah, and Sabahans may lose for a long time the opportunity to control their own destiny.

The Pakatan leaders have shown real zeal and commitment to do their best and are fully aware of the aspirations of all Malaysians as they too have the same aspirations for a better Malaysia and better future for everyone. Penang and Selangor are the 2 best managed states in the entire country. To plumb for a Pakatan state government is indeed tempting compared to the current Musa Aman-Joseph Pairin combo.

Of course there are many problems Sabah still faces. Sabah has lost a lot of its forests, a major source of income. Sabah has petroleum but it needs huge investment to tap the benefits. Sabah is so big and the population is scattered everywhere that any form of major development for the various areas is simply not economically viable.

But above all, corruption is Sabah's worst enemy and this is rampant. Changing both the federal and state governments will immediately disrupt this corruption network and open an avenue for much needed improvement and development.

As it gets closer to the 13th general election, all non-BN Sabah political leaders must open up their minds and look at the larger picture. Neither they or Pakatan should place too much hope in either Yong Teck Lee or Jeffery Kitingan as both men have been turncoats before. Even now, they are often accused of being in cohorts with the UMNO-BN to disrupt and spoil the opposition's chances.

Malaysia Chronicle