Form a solid front in Parliament, Leiking urges Sabah MPs

 

Warisan deputy president Darell Leiking says a united front is needed to ensure Sabah is never again ‘at the mercy of any federal government’.

KOTA KINABALU: Warisan deputy president Darell Leiking has called on chief minister Hajiji Noor to call for an emergency state assembly meeting next week before Parliament reconvenes.

This comes after the issue over the new SOPs, which included dining-in, that Sabah is requesting from the federal government, which has yet to be approved.

The Moyog assemblyman said the emergency sitting is necessary to enable the 24 MPs from Sabah to form a solid front when bringing up the aspirations and needs of Sabahans at the Dewan Rakyat.

“In the past, we have seen MPs from Sabah belittle each other sadly and much to the amusement of MPs from the peninsula, where in the end, very little if not no benefits return to Sabah despite all the demands and debates,” he said, in a statement today.

“Hence, it may be a strategic move for all Sabah elected representatives, more so that we are now in the Covid-19 era, to forge a common position for the state to ratify in Parliament what the Sabah state assembly has unanimously passed.”

Leiking said this is the time that necessitated the 24 Sabah MPs to temporarily forgo their political causes and have a “common cause” to prioritise the needs of the state and Sabahans first.

He said the state assembly must come out with a common agenda affecting the state. “Such resolutions will become the bipartisan position concerning Sabah when Parliament reconvenes,” he said.

As almost all parties talked and argued about the Malaysia Agreement 1963 “this is the common agenda that we can start with”, he said.

“At the same time, we all want to ensure no Sabahan will be left out from getting the Covid-19 vaccination, food baskets, financial assistance and skills (among others) that we need (in order) to revive our state post-Covid-19.

“The state government should immediately seek out all state opposition members on common matters to debate and to resolve into a unanimous decision during the proposed emergency state sitting.

“This will then become ‘Sabah’s Position’ for our parliamentarians to table and demand in Parliament when it convenes.”

He said such measures were necessary to ensure the post-pandemic actions can be managed by Sabahans so that the state “will never again be at the mercy of any federal government”.

Leiking said Warisan, as an opposition party, would continue to speak up on the weaknesses and failures of the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah-led state government. “However, this is the time when we need to prioritise the needs of Sabah and Sabahans first.” - FMT