‘Sabah affairs a cruel joke’
Sabahans can no longer rely on Malaya for welfare and must stand up and be counted, says SAPP
Queville To, FMT
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) is not letting up on hammering home its message that Sabah will remain a losing proposition as long as Malaya-centric politics holds sway in the state.
“Because of Malaya, Sabah is today the poorest state in Malaysia. Such is our pathetic state of affairs. This is so shameful and a cruel joke against Sabah,” said Wilfred Gaban, the party’s Progressive Institute of Public Policy Analysis (PIPPA) director.
Speaking at a political gathering in Luyang here on Wednesday, Gaban urged Sabahans to reject all the peninsula-based political parties as they had done nothing much for Sabah except siphon off its wealth.
He said that it was time for Sabahans to stand up to fight for their rights and for a better future.
“It is time for Sabahans to wake up. We cannot rely on Malaya for welfare. We must take the initiative to do a better job of running our own government. Malaya should not interfere in the affairs of Sabah governance,” he said.
A potential candidate for the coming general election, Gaban also blamed federal leaders for causing Malaysia to lag behind economically as compared to other Asean nations such as Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore.
“As a very tiny nation, barely the size of Keningau, Singapore managed to surpass Malaysia GDP by over five billion dollars,” he pointed out.
Gaban also reminded that in 1970, Malaysia had even sent technical experts to South Korea to assist the Koreans.
“But today, South Korea’s economy has eclipsed Malaysia’s economy 10-fold. Today, South Korea is a global player whose manufacturing industries are some of the top producers in the world.
“What has happened to Malaysia? Why has Malaysia lagged so far behind even when Malaysia gets help from the vast natural resources output of Sabah?” he asked.
