Sabah voters, the future is in your hands

The Sabah election is scheduled to be held on Sept 26 to elect 73 members of the 16th state legislative assembly. Nomination day is Saturday. The scramble for seats has begun and it is likely to be a crowded field.

However, are these YBs-to-be sincerely and honestly contesting to serve the rakyat? I’m inclined to believe that except for a few, the rest have personal interests overriding all other interests.

I cannot help feeling that these “wakil rakyat” are eyeing the supposedly mountain of gold (position, power and money) out there should they win their constituencies. Nothing else matters except to enrich themselves due to their greed. Do Sabahans want such people to represent them for the next five years?

It’s sad to note that even after 57 years of uniting with the rest of Malaysia, Sabah remains in political disorder. The state has suffered enough and only the rakyat can put things right.

Where does the voter or rakyat stand in the scheme of things? Are Sabahans willing to vote for Candidate A only for him or her to betray them by joining another party? Some politicians don’t seem to have any shame or integrity. So, what the voters need to consider is the track record of the candidates such as the number of times they have jumped ship and the way they have conducted themselves thus far.

I dare say that should there be a coalition government with a slim majority, these “wakil rakyat” will have no qualms to jump ship depending on the amount of enticements they receive.

Voters, please don’t be lured or enticed by short-term financial handouts because the future of Sabah is in your hands. Use your vote wisely. Only by voting out those “political frogs” can Sabahans send a strong message that they will not tolerate deceitful and dishonest politicians.

Surely Sabahans don’t want a political crisis to occur where a backdoor government is formed. Your vote will determine the future of the state for the next five years, where the election’s outcome will have far-reaching consequences and ramifications for not just Sabah but also Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia.

Alone, Sabahans might not be able to solve the state’s problems but every voter can help by voting for the right YB who will, hopefully, help usher in a prosperous era for the state.

Pola Singh is an FMT reader.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.