STAR HAS NO LOCUS STANDI TO DOWNGRADE APS

By :BENSON INGGAM

KUAMUT : APS will not allow itself to be trapped by STAR's demand for proof with regards to a purported meeting between leaders of STAR and Tun Daim Zainuddin. This meeting is the talk of the town and street even in the eastern part of Sabah. What the STAR youth should do is to consult his political master and ask him about this meeting.

What we want to know is that until today Dr. jeffrey have yet to explain his previous statement about his willingness to hold any kind of talks or discussion with BN apart from saying that his statement was taken out of context.

It is indeed wrong and even more mischievious for STAR to downgrade APS as a grouping for Tuaran and Tamparuli alone. APS now has recieved tremendous support from all over Sabah, and the reception recieved by APS President at each of the roadshow we have organised is tremndous both in the Kinabatangan area as well as Beluran, APS has established its presence in every constituency where the majority are from among the KDM community and the majority of the Natives as well as among the non-natives are coming forward to support the struggles of APS.

We categorically state here and maintain that APS' foremost agenda is the aspiration and struggles of the people of Sabah and Pakatan Rakyat along with the other parties that make up PR have expressed their undivided cooperation to help bring about the realisation of this noble objectives.

Infact Datuk Wilfred Bumburing have been invited to speak at several PR functions in various places in the Peninsular and this has provided APS an important opportunity to convey its messages and objectives to our PR counter-part in Semenanjung.

An excellent opportunity to convey APS agenda for Sabah to the people in Semenanjung. And our vision and mission have also recieved tremendous support from our counter parts in Semenanjung.

We are moving towards a change for the better, not just for the restoration of Sabah's sovereignity as an independent State within the Federation of Malaysia, but an overall change in the whole of Malaysia. APS subscribe to the belief in a two-party system and in taking over Putrajaya, only a PR-led opposition grouping would be in a position to dislodge BN from Putrajaya.

Any radical claims and changes in the overall Administration and functioning in the context of what Sabah wants requires that control of Parliament must change hands. Right now we see the possibility of this to be realised and achieved only by teaming up with Pakatan Rakyat.

The doctrine of 'self-determination' being propogated by STAR is infact not even one of the 20-points agreement which was formulated by the Cobblod Commission and became part and parcel of the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

There are other elements and spirit in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 which provided for guarantees and protection for Sabah as an indepndent State within Malaysia and that is what we believe and that is what we are struggling for in APS.

Our priority is the restorations of the rights of the indigenous people of Sabah as Malaysian citizen and the restorations of our State's rights within the Federation based on the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963."