Jeffrey factor in Sabah politics
Umno-Putrajaya’s divided politics is affecting the ground in Sabah and giving Jeffrey Kitingan a helpful hand.
His battle cry to his people now is simply: “Kita mesti menentukan nasib kita sendiri. Jangan biar orang lain menentukannya untuk kita. Kalau bukan kita, siapa lagi? Kalau bukan sekarang, bila lagi? Ini kali lah!” (We must decide our own destiny. Don’t let others decide it for us. If not us, who else? If not now, when. This is the time!)
Free Malaysia Today
KOTA KINABALU: If you’re an advertising man, you will liken politics to a “product” for which the end-users are the citizens. For the citizens to buy into the “product”, the spokesperson must be able to communicate the product’s “Unique Selling Propositions” (USP) to the citizen.
Jeffrey Kitingan’s USP is simply “Sabah for Sabahans”.
If there’s one man in Sabah who has “bled” from the insane political “kicks, punches and lynchings”, for his bullish stance on self-determination for Sabah, it’s Jeffrey.
Despite his 31-month detention under Internal Security Act (ISA) in 1991, he has remained resolute in his political drive to abolish all laws which he feels are an affront to human and civil rights.
He has dismissed rumour-mongers, lethal media reports, political forecasts and soothsayers, doggedly determined to keep Sabah for Sabahans
Jeffrey is standing alone, dignified and refusing to align himself or his Borneo Alliance idea with either opposition Pakatan Rakyat or ruling Barisan Nasional.
He trusts neither. And anyone declaring their support for either one is viewed with suspicion. Jeffrey’s agenda is the reinstatement of the terms in the 1963 Malaysia Agreement for Sabah.
His agenda is to right the wrongs instituted against Sabah by the federal ruling coalition. His agenda is to restore Sabah’s dignity and self-respect. His agenda is to recover Sabah’s “autonomous state” as listed in the 20-point agreement.
‘This is the time’
Sabahans, Jeffrey has repeatedly said, have been financially squeezed and economically sapped by the federal government and its inequitable distribution of revenue derived from the state’s own resources.
He hammered home this message to a highly-charged audience here earlier this month.
Some 4,000 people braved the rain and distance to see Jeffrey launch his political vehicle – the Sabah chapter of the State Reform Party (STAR) on Jan 6, 2012.
Jeffrey is STAR’s Sabah chairman and has already received more than 60,000 membership applications to join the party. This within a short three weeks since it sent out 100,000 application forms.
His battle cry to his people now is simply: “Kita mesti menentukan nasib kita sendiri. Jangan biar orang lain menentukannya untuk kita. Kalau bukan kita, siapa lagi? Kalau bukan sekarang, bila lagi? Ini kali lah!” (We must decide our own destiny. Don’t let others decide it for us. If not us, who else? If not now, when. This is the time!)
He continues to do this at every gathering and at every function.
Is Jeffrey’s call for Sabah autonomy hurting Chief Minister and Umno Sabah president Musa Aman? The grapevine here has its own theories.
One tale claims that Musa is rattled by the groundswell of support Jeffrey is generating and that he and his brother Joseph Pairin Kitingan have fallen out.
The other story speaks of Musa’s secret delight in this new psy-war which is part of a “bigger” picture.
Deliverance and greater autonomy
But both tales revolve around “greater autonomy” for Sabah after the 13th general election. The details of the “greater autonomy”, however, heavily depends on the deliverance.
Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is apparently agreeable to “some” changes. But the deal is only “viable” if Sabah delivers 100 percent in the general election.
Prior to 2008, Musa would have easily shook hands on it, but this time the situation is different.
Musa does not have the same “dictatorial power” over Sabah Umno that his peer Taib Mahmud has over his Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) party in Sarawak.
Not only is Musa faced with internal turmoil within Sabah Umno but he also seems unable to mend fences within the BN coalition.
Much of this is anchored in “Umno-Putrajaya’s direct interference” in Sabah.
Said one insider: “Umno-Putrajaya is so divided that it is now a fight for who will be the next prime minister and whose team you are on.
“Najib himself is fighting for survival and his biggest problem is loyalty within his system.
“Musa has pledged his support for Najib but wants Najib to bring in Shafie. That’s where the trouble lies.”
The insider was referring to Semporna MP and Umno vice-president Shafie Apdal.
