‘Sabah Umno reps only servicing Muslims’

Disgruntled Sabah Upko members are fed up with Umno YBs and want a special programme to re-educate them on their responsibilities to the electorate.

LAHAD DATU: The strained relationship between two Barisan Nasional components here has emerged into the open over the preferential treatment given to Muslim Bumiputera at the expense of the non-Muslims.

The United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) which is embarrassed that it has not been able to provide the same level of social assistance that Umno provides its supporters, this week accused the dominant BN party of granting assistance based on religious beliefs rather than on needs and creating a split where none existed before.

Silam Upko division chairman, Basari Sarkun, charged that the Silam Umno elected representatives were neglecting the wellbeing of the non-Muslim Bumiputera and ignoring the sacrifices of BN component parties and their supporters that ensured the coalition’s victory in the last election.

Basari, who is also district councillor, said Umno seemed to be only interested in helping the Muslim community, especially its party members first and then the community.

“Let me remind you all that the victory of Silam is the victory of all the component parties in BN, and not solely Umno or the YBs themselves. They should fulfil their election pledge to the people after they had won,” he said.

He suggested that the BN conduct a special programme to educate its elected representatives to understand their duty to all citizens as well as Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s unity drive which they had taken to mean as an exercise of merely putting up their finger and shouting “1 Malaysia” during a function or a photo opportunity.

“I have requested for the YBs special fund to repair churches, roads, village community halls in non-Muslim Bumiputera majority villages. I also requested 1Malaysia computer, zinc sheets, water tanks and other such items for our communities, but sadly the YBs were not forthcoming,” he said.

A highly emotional Basari, who cried at various points of his speech to some 600 party members during a division meeting, said that even government poverty eradication programmes were discriminatory in nature including the supply of electricity and water in rural areas.

‘There’s still hope’

In attendance were Upko president Bernard Dompok, who is also federal Plantation and Commodity Minister, his deputy Ewon Ebin, who is State Rural Development Minister, State Cultural Board chairman Wences Anggang and central committee members Madius Tanggau and Markus Mojigoh (Putatan MP).

Dompok urged his party members to be calm and voice their grievances through the proper party channels.

He said the acceptance by Najib to set up Royal Commission of Inquiry on illegal immigrants was “a good indication” of the willingness of the current BN government to resolve the long-standing Sabahan problems.

“There is still hope in BN… it is willing to listen and find ways to improve the situation. Of course, we can’t resolve everything overnight, but when the right times come, it will be resolved,” he told disgruntled members and party supporters.