Jeffrey tells Najib: No more political rhetoric, please

KOTA KINABALU: The federal government should immediately restore Sabah and Sarawak’s special rights as per Article 8 of the Federal Constitution instead of playing politics with the issue, said Sabah politician and rights activist Jeffrey Kitingan.

“Prime Minister Najib Razak should not be engaged in political polemics on this, like former premier and Pakatan Harapan chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“Najib is the incumbent prime minister and is in a position to put things right,” he said to FMT.

Jeffrey, who is Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) president, was commenting on Najib’s statement promising Sarawakians that Putrajaya would restore the special rights of the Bornean state if its people fulfilled two conditions.

The conditions were that there should be no talk of secession and Sarawakians must support Barisan Nasional (BN).

Instead of laying down terms and conditions, Jeffrey said the federal government under Najib’s leadership should just do it and prove their sincerity.

“Sabahans and Sarawakians are tired of being used, abused, manipulated and exploited like a typical 19th century colony only to benefit Malaya at our expense,” charged the Bingkor assemblyman.

At the same time, Jeffrey said Sabahans and Sarawakians must be realistic.

“We need to review our position in the federation as adult members, not infant members,” he said.

Jeffrey called upon Sabahans to come together and decide their own future.

“If Malaysia is to survive in the longer term as a federation, it must be restructured to reflect the aspiration of the member states based on the current conditions and future needs of Malaysians guided by fairness and social justice,” he said. -FMT