Don’t fall into trap of blaming peninsula, Rafizi tells East Malaysians

 

Rafizi Ramli says Malaysians in the peninsula should recognise the fact that it is unfair to treat Sabah and Sarawak merely as states.

PETALING JAYA: Rafizi Ramli has advised East Malaysians against falling into the trap of parochial politics that pit them against those in the peninsula.

The PKR deputy president said this was especially important when it came to the distribution issue of the nation’s wealth.

He added that leaders in Sabah and Sarawak who abused their power to amass wealth would often point their finger at the peninsula for problems that plagued their own states.

“Hiding behind such sentiments only serves to divide us and is an easy way to mask their own mistakes and malfeasance,” Rafizi said in his Malaysia Day message.

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He added that while he believes that Sabah and Sarawak were entitled to a fair and equitable share, he did not want the riches to be misappropriated by the same group that had been enriching themselves all these years.

According to Rafizi, the poverty in Sabah and Sarawak as well as the lack of development is not only about how much the federal government had allocated but also had to do with those who were in charge of the funds received by the two states.

“It is a matter of integrity. That is why there is a need to build an ecosystem to punish those who enrich themselves as well as to ensure that the allocations reach those in need.

“The corrupt, including politicians and civil servants, must be punished.”

He also called for Putrajaya and all Malaysians in the peninsula to recognise the fact that it was unfair to treat Sabah and Sarawak merely as states, saying it went against the spirit of Malaysia’s formation. - FMT