Jeffrey rejects talk of ‘Razaleigh plan’

ARCHIVES 2013

By admin-s On Jun 17, 2013

(FMT) – Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak ‘s promise to make further changes in his cabinet later this year to accommodate unhappy BN MPs from Borneo shows how influential the two states are.

Maverick politician Jeffrey Kitingan has thrown a lifeline to beleaguered Prime Minister Najib Razak as word spreads of wheeling and dealing in the upper echelons of power over the direction of the country following last month’s general elections

The Sabah State Reform Party (STAR) chairman who has taken a hardline on any relations with peninsula or Malayan politicians interfering in Sabah and Sarwak’s affairs, scoffed at the idea of Sabah and Sarawak MPs meeting with Malayan politicians to engineer ways to remain relevant.

Jeffrey, a state assembly representative, made the comments in response to reports that MPs from the two states had met Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

He said it was clear that MPs from Sabah and Sarawak held a crucial position ever since the 2008 election as well as in the 13th General Election last month.

This could be seen, he said, when Najib and the earlier prime minister, had a free reign to appoint their cabinets as they pleased. Najib had little choice in the appointment of 21 ministers and deputies from the two Borneo States following the outcomes of the GE13.

He said Najib’s promise to make further changes in his cabinet later this year to accommodate unhappy BN MPs from the two states shows just how influential MPs from the two states can be when they use their minds.

Jeffrey pointed out that the people and their leaders in the two states needed to discard their old mentality of depending and relying on leaders from Malaya.

“With due respect to Tengku Razaleigh or better known as Ku Li who is not only eminently qualified and experienced to lead Malaysia and probably will do a better job as Prime Minister than many from Umno, he is in the wrong party and the wrong coalition.