NGOs give Salleh 10 days to apologise, retract
Lajim, in his capacity as the President of the Sabah Bumiputera Cultural Heritage Association (Waris) and United Sabah Bisaya Association (PBBS), said Salleh's statement that the 20-Points was no longer valid since it had been incorporated in the Federal Constitution had deeply hurt the feelings of the people in both states.
He said he had been in communication with his counterparts in other NGOs like Amanah Sabah Chief Datuk Wilfred Bumburing and they agreed to give Salleh up to 10 days to make a public statement and apologise to Sabahans and Sarawakians.
"If not we will call for a referendum through a signature petition to ask the people if they agree with Salleh's view. We may also hold a peaceful demonstration during the Prime Minister's scheduled visit to Sabah (early next month)," he said, Monday.
Lajim said the planned peaceful demonstration was to seek the view from the Federal Government on the status of the 20-Points, which Salleh said was already invalid.
According to him, although some of the matters in the 20-Points had been incorporated in the Federal Constitution "I have consulted with legal practitioners who opined that the 20-points is still valid."
"I want to ask Salleh when did both the Federal and State governments ever discussed to revoke the 20-Points that was signed by the Sabah and Sarawak leaders during the formation of Malaysia as recommended by the Cobbold Commission.
"I don't know what is his real intention. To me the people of Sabah and Sarawak are very angry with the statement," he said.
Lajim said it was also puzzling that Salleh decided to come up with such statement knowing the fact that everybody in Sabah from the Barisan Nasional (BN) and opposition have been calling for the Federal Government to look seriously into fulfilling the issues in the 20-points.
"What is his motive? Perhaps, he wants to attract the attention of the leaders since the General Election is just around the corner or maybe he was directed to make the statement."
In this respect, Lajim said Salleh as the State Assembly Speaker should emulate Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia who relinquished all his posts in Umno soon after being appointed Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat.
"He should be neutral but at the moment his view might be similar to the party he is representing now," said Lajim.
As for Salleh's claim that the opposition was using the 20-points issue to influence the youths to go against the Government, he believed the younger generation of today would reject Salleh's notion.
"The youths today are not like in the 1970s É I think they (youths) are capable of making their own decision especially in the advent of the new media.
"Being professionals and educated I am sure they can make they own decision without having to be told by anybody including the opposition.
They know what is good in respect of the 20-Points," he said.
Lajim said during his tenure as a Member of Parliament for Beaufort, a Federal Deputy Minister and Umno Supreme Council member, the 20-points issue had never been raised by the leaders in Kuala Lumpur.
"Umno at its Supreme Council meeting has never brought up the issue so why has Salleh suddenly come up with such statement that only hurts the feeling of the people of Sabah?" he asked.
Lajim also expressed full support to the statement by Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) Deputy President Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili that the content and spirit of the 20-point document on Sabah's safeguard for the formation of Malaysia was valid in perpetuity.
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