TAMBUNAN March 20, 2012: State chairman of the State Reform Party (STAR), Jeffrey Kitingan, said Sabah, though freed from the colonial British in 1963, is actually “practically” still under colonisation today.
He said this can be tested with a simple political arithmetic: “We are free if we are free from colonisation or outside power. You are an independent country if you are free to plan and decide your own fiscal policies.”
Likewise, he said a country cannot consider itself independent if its own people do not have the power to elect or choose their own leaders.
“If Sabah is a free country then it must continue to have the unfettered power to appoint its own chief minister. Currently, this power has been usurped by Umno…” he said in his address at a Borneo tea-party at Kampung Patau in Tambunan recently.
Jeffrey also argued that one other important tenet of an independent state is that it must be able to collect taxes for itself, something that Sabah has been squarely denied of even though it was granted during the formation of Malaysia.
He said Sabah was in dire situation today because it was denied its rights and freedom as envisaged by a departing colonial British government and the founders of the state as well as proponents of the Malaysia Federation in 1963.
“We were 20 years behind then and ready for any negotiation in 1963. And this has been made worse by plots after plots to make Sabah just one of the smaller states in the federation after we agreed to form the federation.
“The outside power player did everything, including amending the Federal Constitution and forgetting all the 1963 pledges, to make sure Sabah and Sarawak are subservient to the centre, in order for them to plunder our resources and leaving our people poor.
“This explains why today we are the poorest people in Malaysia even though Sabah is the richest in term of resources…” he said.
Thirty-one new projects worth 77.5 billion ringgit ($25.4 billion), 32,400 ringgit average income and 150,000 jobs that will bring 3.2m Sabahans into a high-income society. And this says Najib Razak, Malaysia’s prime minister, is the result of good relations between Sabah and Kuala Lumpur.
BalasPadamThe PM said his closed working relationship with Musa has resulted in his government bankrolling the Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (Sedia) which has more than 63 billion ringgit of investments in tourism, oil and gas, palm oil, agricultural, education, logistics and manufacturing.
BalasPadamIn eight years, Sabah will have a gross income of 110 billion ringgit which will give each Sabahan an average income of 32,400 ringgit. About 77.5 billion ringgit will come from the 31 projects known as entry point projects under Najib’s massive economic transformation programme. His government has targeted a yearly 9% economic growth for Sabah.
BalasPadamNajib noted the zeal of Sabah entrepreneurs in carrying out multi-million-ringgit projects under the public-private partnership programme in which they are entitled to federal funding of 10% of their cost.
BalasPadamThese are the Gleneagles Medical Centre, the integrated Jesselton Waterfront and Sabah International Convention Centre in Kota Kinabalu, the International Technology and Convention Centre in Penampang, the Dalit Bay Integrated Tourism Resort in Tuaran, the Sipadan Mangrove Resort and Sabah Green Energy which is building a geothermal power plant in Tawau.
BalasPadamSaya pun tak suka dengan kepimpinan BN yang banyak sangat bagi jnaji tapi hanya sedikit yang dipenuhi. Namun, macam mana sekalipun saya tak suka BN saya tetap menghargai usaha mereka membangunkan Sabah.
BalasPadamBn telah berusaha untuk membangunkan shaja, janji yang mereka beri, dpat di tunaikan.
PadamSabah memang dalam proses berkembang maju, namun proses itu rasanya patut dipercepatkan.
BalasPadamKesiannya Sabah.. Lepas baca artikel ni tak tertulis apa yang nak dikata.
BalasPadamItulah tujuna DJK, untuk mengelirukan rakyat dengan kata2 beliau.
PadamKalaulah si DJK ni takda buat hal yang menyebabkan rakyat tawar hati dengannya, tak mustahil sekrang dia dapat sokongan kuat.
BalasPadamDJK hanya pandai bercakap sahaja.
PadamTapi susah jugalah mahu cakap. Politik ni sukar diramal.
BalasPadamCM said the State continues to see progress in several sectors of the economy, most notably in oil and gas, palm oil and tourism.
BalasPadamAs Sabah progresses into the 10th Malaysia Plan and the Sabah Development Corridor,the Government would continue to plan and implement timely projects with the overall aim of uplifting standards of living.
BalasPadamSabah telah menerima peruntukan terbesar sebanyak 4 billion. peruntukan ini dpt membangunkan dan memajukan Sabah dgn begitu pesat.
BalasPadam4 bilion peruntukan untuk sabah, banyak tu, pasti dapat menbangunkan sabah.
PadamKita harap saja peruntukkan tersebut akan diurus dengan baik.
Padamselain itu, banyak usaha dalam membangunkan Sabah pesat dilakukan, byk projek seperti SDC, projek SOG dan, Samur dilaksanakan bagi membangunkan lagi Sabah.
BalasPadamBanyak perkembangan positf yang berlaku di sabah, tapi pembangkang tidak nampak semua itu.
BalasPadamsiapapun yang mengambil alih kerajaan negeri ini, Sabah tetap akan dijajah.. dijajah oleh parti politik yang mana kesungguhan mereka untuk menyelesaikan masalah rakyat boleh dipertikaikan..
BalasPadam