AUTONOMOUS GOVERNMENT A MUST

By : DATUK SERI PANGLIMA YONG TECK LEE

CONFUCIUS said, "In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of."

The political situation of Malaysia today is in a messy condition, social order imbalanced, wealth and resources unevenly distributed, corrupted officials abound to the extent that the 20 Points which was the basis for the Malaysia Agreement is now made obsolete, land resources within the state are being robbed capriciously, resulting in the loss of autonomy of Sabah.

This chaotic situation has brought hardship, widening of the rich-poor gap and marginalizing of Sabahans. This has severely affected Sabah and stunted its development and growth.

It has deceptively led Sabah to lose its right to govern its resources autonomously, and with the divide-and-rule policy continued to mislead Sabahans into thinking that our state depends on the power centralized in Kuala Lumpur for peace and prosperity.

SAPP's pursuit for an autonomous government is worrying the power and greed-driven Malayan politicians especially those who have eyes for the enormous natural resources in Sabah. An autonomous government ensures that the Sabah government has control over its land, its natural resources, its immigration, etc.

SAPP's autonomous policy will safeguard the unique environment and atmosphere (for example our racial harmony) of Sabah. A state thus transformed is for all Malaysians to enjoy fair distribution of resources, and contributing collectively towards promoting the development of Sabah.

Sabah is a land of wealth. We have oil and gas, rich fisheries, forestry and natural beauty that makes tourism a humongous industry. We have birds nests, oil palm and an ideal globally strategic geographical location that combined to make us once the richest state in Malaysia. But decades of unfair federal policies and unfair distribution of resources has turned us into the poorest state in Malaysia.

SAPP is calling for your support of this political revolution to regain Sabah rights and autonomy. We must seize this rare window of opportunity to put an end to our state government being subservient to the Federal government. The robbing of our resources can only be stopped when we regain autonomy, a right envisaged by the founding fathers of our great Sabah.

This Chinese New Year offers a fresh perspective and new vision for Sabah. I call upon all voters to rise up in defence of Sabah's autonomy and the return of our state to the affluence and the harmonious society we once had.

As we send off the Dragon and welcome the year of the Snake, I wish all Malaysians in Sabah abundance, prosperity, happiness, and a New, Clean Government!