YOURSAY | 'Going federal' has not helped Sabah all these years

 

YOURSAY | 'Where did Sabah's fabulous resources go after almost 60 years of BN leadership?'

Vote for those who hold federal power - Muhyiddin tells Sabahans

Vijay47: Obviously, not only do Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's minders not review his speeches, they actually give him the armaments to embark on a shooting spree - on his own foot.

Muhyiddin's "Go Federal" advice to the people of Sabah could even be an extract from the manual "What Not to Say in a Political Speech for Dummies".

Many of the previous Sabah state governments were reasonably close with the federal government until they went rogue and became subservient lackeys to firstly, Kuala Lumpur and then Putrajaya.

Those who did stand up to the national capital were soon enough brow-beaten into submission, as in the case of the original edition of Joseph Pairin Kitingan. And just what did this shotgun marriage bring the people of Sabah, Muhyiddin?

After 57 years of Malaysiaship, the state remains as backward as ever. Or as the prime minister proudly announced, "Sabah has been a poor state even before Covid"!

Why are the Sabahans mired in poverty? With all its precious forest and oil resources, what happened to the state's wealth? Were they ferried in suitcases between Malaysia and Hong Kong only for 46 charges to die an unnatural death? 

Covid-19? What the hell has it got to do with Sabah's miserable lot and the elections? Perhaps the sudden upsurge is manna to become convenient campaign promises.

This is your chance, Sabah, for you to stand up and be counted as one of the three proud founding states of Malaysia along with Sarawak and Malaya. You are not akin to any of the 11 Peninsular states like Perak, Selangor, Pahang, or, alas, Kelantan.

To stake your claim, to demand what is rightfully yours, you need a tough, loyal leader with a spine. Of course, in the wake of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Azmin Ali, and yes, Muhyiddin, no one can be trusted these days.

Yet, Shafie Apdal may be the one to lead you out of the wilderness.

Newday: Muhyiddin, why is Sabah poor? It possesses bountiful natural resources like timber and offshore oil and gas deposits.

Remember that "poor" did not happen overnight during the 20 months of the Pakatan Harapan-led federal government. Who was in charge during the other 60 years? It was the mob that you have hopped back into bed with.

Where did the fabulous timber resources go? Maybe you can ask former chief minister Musa Aman, his family and bevvy of cronies. They certainly managed to get exceedingly wealthy during all this time of Sabah being "poor".

As the country's leader, you are supposed to govern for all, regardless of political allegiances. I understand that opposition-led states do usually end up with less federal funding. But this does not mean that all people living in states led by government-aligned parties will become wealthy.

This is especially so in Malaysia, and more so under any government that has Umno in the mix. Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has already told Sabah party members they are guaranteed plush jobs if the party wins.

What of the average "poor" Sabahan? No change for them. They know the only way to wealth is to feed off the crony corruption machine. Is this what you are asking? Sacrifice a good moral and ethical, albeit poor existence, to get some crumbs of corruption?

You know and we all know that Sabah would be wealthy if it were not for the insatiable greed of a few. The few who are part of your flock.

PeakyBlinder: It's ironic how the PM actually knows that the state of Sabah has been governed by the BN government for more than 10 times longer than the now incumbent Warisan government, yet decides to push the blame on the Warisan government for the fact that Sabah has been underdeveloped for decades.

This is like the “Ini semua salah LGE” (it is all Lim Guan Eng’s fault) all over again.

Itslengry02: Why do the Sabah and Sarawak governments need to be aligned with the federal government?

This matter is not about which party is capable of developing Sabah and Sarawak. It's about the capabilities of members of parliament or state assemblypersons to help the rakyat in his/her constituency.

This is why voters need to do their homework and get to know the candidates. What are their backgrounds, contributions and achievements? Don't blindly support a candidate because of his or her party. It's wrong to do that. Vote for the candidate that is capable of developing the area.

Even if the opposition represents the area, if the person can do the job, the area will be as developed as Kuala Lumpur due to the representative's dedication. And one thing, don't always depend on the federal government.

YellowZebra4720: The underpinning of this rhetoric from Muhyiddin is this - without the federal government, the Sabah state government is weak and powerless.

This is partially true, largely thanks to the erosion of Sabah autonomy by BN, especially during Mahathir's first administration.

To now ask the people of Sabah to vote Perikatan Nasional (PN) for federal help, instead of promising greater state power, is both ironic and shameless. It's like asking a fraud victim to continue investing in the fraudster for peanuts when the victim deserves all his money.

DalvinK: What a typical BN style of election bait. More than half a century with BN, Sabah is the poorest state.

Clearly BN, and now PN, couldn't do much. Except, of course, Sabah can't get any poorer because it is already the poorest.

BlueKijang4184: Is that what we are supposed to teach our children? I thought voting is a process whereby one chooses a capable person who can represent us in the state assembly or Parliament? I have never been taught that I must choose a candidate from a party which holds federal power.

In a democratic country, the government is the rakyat. But because Parliament cannot accommodate every rakyat, therefore, we have to choose a representative during the elections. If the representative cannot perform, we are supposed to vote the person out in the next election.

Some so-called leaders don't seem to understand the basis of the democratic process. Shame on them. They need to go back to school and study Pendidikan Sivik dan Kewarganegaraan (Civic Education and Citizenship).

Cure for Stupidity: We choose the government but you and your gang took away our voting rights by becoming kataks (frogs).

What is the use of voting for your party and coalition? I am ashamed to tell my children what you did to the voters in Malaysia.

Weird Weirder: And what is the point of an election if everyone just chooses the one holding the federal government? Where is the democracy? It sounds like a dictatorship if everyone should choose just the federal government. - Mkini