PEMIMPIN SABAH TIDAK PUAS HATI SEJAK 2008

Pemimpin Sabah tidak puas hati sejak 2008

Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak juga lambat bertindak untuk menyelesaikan masalah di Sabah itu.

PETALING JAYA August 4, 2012: Bibit-bibit tidak puas hati Sabah terhadap kerajaan Pusat susah mula tercetus sejak pilihan raya umum 2008, kata penganalisis politik dari Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Dr Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani.

Beliau juga berkata, Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak juga lambat bertindak untuk menyelesaikan masalah di Sabah itu.

“Najib nak pergi Sabah pada 11 Ogos ini, ini sudah terlambat. Sepatutnya dia jumpa pemimpin-pemimpin itu sejak awal lagi.

“Bincang dengan mereka…selesaikan awal-awal,”

IN SABAH, A NEW POLITICAL LANDSCAPE TAKES SHAPE

In Sabah, a new political landscape takes shape

KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 — A new political future may dawn in Malaysia soon as two senior Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders, chafing at Putrajaya’s bit, move to launch their own parties aligned to the rival Pakatan Rakyat (PR) faction today in the run-up to key national polls.

Umno’s Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin (picture)and United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation’s (UPKO) Datuk Seri Wilfred Mojilip Bumburing will be launching two new political fronts Pakatan Perubahan Sabah (PPS) and Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) in Beaufort and Tuaran respectively later today, PKR-run news portal Keadilan Daily reported last night.

DIVIDE & CONQUER

More new political parties in Sabah?

Home Ministry officials are set to meet applicants of 12 new political parties in Sabah in what is rumoured to be Umno's bid to put in place its BN-direct membership process.

KOTA KINABALU Jan 16, 2012: Speculations are rife that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is setting in motion his game plan to contain Umno Sabah and Barisan Nasional’s weakening grip in the state.

It is learnt that he has given the “green light” for more new political parties to be registered in Sabah, where a deeply divided Umno is battling with inner turmoil.

BN is also struggling under relentless attacks over alleged abuse of power, land grabs, unfair federal policies, victimisation and escalating cost of living.

PR OR BN NEEDS SABAH AND SARAWAK TO FORM FEDERAL GOVERMENT

Guan Eng: Pakatan needs one-third of Sabah and Sarawak to take power

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 7 — Lim Guan Eng set an 18-seat target for Pakatan Rakyat (PR) today in Sabah and Sarawak for the next general elections to take over federal government.

“You cannot give them this kind of handicap. To win Putrajaya, you must win more than two seats obviously.

“If you want to make a change, Ubah Malaysia Ubah, you must try for at least 18 seats in Sabah, Sarawak. That is one third.

BN TIDAK BERHARAP DENGAN SABAH & SARAWAK UNTUK MENANG

BN Tidak Hanya Bergantung Kepada Sabah Dan Sarawak Untuk Menang

LABUAN, 19 Nov (Bernama) -- Barisan Nasional (BN) tidak hanya bergantung pada dua negeri iaitu Sabah dan Sarawak untuk menang dalam pilihan raya umum akan datang, tetapi juga pada negeri-negeri lain di Semenanjung.

Timbalan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin berkata walaupun kedua-dua negeri dan juga Labuan telah disifatkan sebagai deposit tetap bagi BN, gabungan itu sepatutnya berupaya memenangi semula negeri-negeri lain yang jatuh ke tangan pembangkang pada pilihan raya umum lepas.

MEET TOLD SABAH FACED TOO MANY PROBLEMS AFTER MERGER

Meet told Sabah faced too many problems after merger

March 06, 2011 Kota Kinabalu: Tan Sri Simon Sipaun said life in Sabah was considerably better in many aspects before Malaysia was formed compared to now.

"Life in Sabah before Malaysia was good to say the least. Admittedly, there was no development then, as seen today, but Malaya was not much better," said the former Vice President of the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) at the United Borneo Front's (UBF) Inter-Party Dialogue and Leadership Exclusive Seminar held at Beverly Hotel, Saturday.

He was making his concluding remarks at the panel discussion which he chaired at the one-day seminar.

• He said there was no racial problem (in Sabah before Malaysia was formed) while "inter marriages were very common and that's why there are many 'peranakans' in Sabah."
• "If Sabahans are now conscious of racial and religious divides, they learned this from Semenanjung. There were no illegal immigrants.
• There were no cases of Sabahans losing citizenship status and foreigners gaining it without much difficulty," he said.
• "There were no repressive and draconian laws such as the Official Secrets Act, the Internal Security Act, the Printing Presses and Publications Act, the Sedition Act, the Police Act and the Proclamations of Emergency."
• "There was no quarrelling over dead bodies. The composition of civil services was multiracial. Meritocracy was appreciated, observed and practised. Corruption and 'ketuanan Melayu' were unheard of.

The list continues. How not to miss pre-Malaysia?" he said.

Sipaun, also said that agreements and related legal rights of Sabah as well Sarawak within the federation of Malaysia are, more often than not, seen as inconvenient truths and preferred to be forgotten than fulfilled.

Citing September 16 as an example, he said the fact that it took the Federal Government 46 years just to admit and officially recognise the date as the birth of Malaysia speaks volumes.

He added the political union between Borneo territories and Malaya was at best an artificial one as the two regions had very little, if any, in common.

"The inclusion of Sabah and Sarawak was an afterthought to counter balance the Chinese population of Singapore. As it happened, Singapore left or were kicked out of the federation in 1965 but continued to progress by leaps and bounds.

"Brunei decided to withdraw from the negotiation at the eleventh hour and has survived well to this day. It remained a big fish in a small pond while Sabah and Sarawak became a small fish in big pond," said Sipaun.

He pointed out that Sabah which is rich in natural resources and once the second richest state is now the poorest in the country while its so called self autonomy is only imaginary, arguing that Malaysia although federal in form is unitary in substance.

Sarawak, he said, was somewhat better than Sabah as its people, in the absence of Umno, still have a say in deciding who is going to be the Chief Minister.

"I believe that there are also more local Sarawakians holding senior and important positions in federal departments in Sarawak.

The illegal immigrant problem is also minimal," he said.

However, he said Sabah and Sarawak do have many things in common since forming Malaysia including, sadly, predicaments.

As such, it is in the best of both states to have very close cooperation and to continuously pool their resources and exchange skills, knowledge and experience to maximise mutual benefits.

He added there is general consensus that Sabah and Sarawak deserve better treatment by Federal in terms of, among others, more equitable distribution of opportunities and development projects.

He noted that the value for development projects for Sabah and Sarawak in the 2011 Budget only amounted to about RM9.55 billion which is "peanuts" compared to the massive RM109.74 billion for Semenanjung.

"One project, namely the 100-storey building located in KL has been allocated RM5 billion which is more than what Sabah received.

Yet both Sabah and Sarawak are producers of oil and gas, which represent an important source of federal revenue.

The term 'fixed deposit' used by Barisan Nasional (BN) in referring to Sabah, said Sipaun is derogatory and insulting, as the central government continues to give lop-sided treatment to the State.

He stressed that during the last general election, it was the voters of Sabah and Sarawak who saved the present government from losing power, so much so that Sabah has now been referred to as a fixed deposit.

"But in return for all these Sabah and Sarawak appear to continue to be short-changed and getting a raw deal," he added.

"PADA PILIHAN RAYA UMUM LALU JIKA DIKIRA UNDI BN DI SEMENANJUNG PASTINYA KURANG, NAMUN SARAWAK DAN SABAH TELAH MEMASTIKAN BN KEKAL MEMERINTAH…” - ANGGOTA PARLIMEN IGAN DATUK WAHAB DOLLAH

Sarawak Akan Pertahankan Kedudukan Sebagai Deposit Tetap BN

DARO (SARAWAK), 2 Jan (Bernama) -- Barisan Nasional (BN) Sarawak yang diterajui Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud selaku Ketua Menteri, Pengerusi BN negeri dan Presiden Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) akan memastikan Sarawak kekal sebagai deposit tetap kepada BN pada pilihan raya negeri dan umum akan datang.

Anggota Parlimen Igan Datuk Wahab Dollah berkata hakikatnya Sarawak masih lagi menjadi kubu kuat BN dan kedudukan itu harus dipertahankan pada pilihan raya negeri ke-10 yang mungkin akan diadakan dalam tempoh masa terdekat selain pilihan raya umum ke-13 akan datang.

"Pada pilihan raya umum lalu jika dikira undi BN di Semenanjung pastinya kurang, namun Sarawak dan Sabah telah memastikan BN kekal memerintah dan PBB sebagai komponen BN mempunyai jumlah anggota Parlimen yang ketiga terbesar iaitu 14 anggota selepas UMNO dan MCA," katanya ketika berucap pada majlis sambutan Ambang Tahun Baru di Kampung Tian di sini Sabtu.

Ketika ini BN Sarawak menguasai 29 daripada 31 kerusi di Dewan Rakyat dan 62 daripada 71 kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN). Tempoh penggal DUN Sarawak dijangka berakhir pada penghujung Jun tahun ini.

Dalam pada itu Wahab berkata semua anggota Parlimen BN dijangka akan berjumpa dengan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak pada 8 Jan ini yang antara lain untuk membincangkan isu tertunggak yang dihadapi di setiap kawasan Parlimen.

EDUCATION INFRASTRUCTURAL PROBLEMS HAD PUT SABAH AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LIST, ESPECIALLY IN THE INTERIOR - MUHIDDIN

Trust Sabahans to solve education problems – Masidi

KOTA KINABALU: State education exco Datuk Masidi Manjun has urged the federal government to look at Sabah’s education problems in a different perspective.Speaking at the launch of the State Education Department excellent service awards presentation ceremony at the Federal Administrative Building yesterday, Masidi said the main problem why many problems had never been solved in the State was that the federal government always looked at education in Sabah from the peninsula perspective.

“Sabah is a big land, where we need more allocations to address our educational needs, not only in the rural areas but also in the city.

“We want the federal government to trust Sabahans to overcome our own education problems because we know our situation here,” said Masidi.

He added that the State Education Department would be able to do what is best for education in Sabah, as long as the federal government is giving the promised allocations without any delay.

One of the existing problems that remains unsolved since the Ninth Malaysia Plan was the project to provide computer labs for schools in Sabah, said Masidi who presented excellent service awards to 192 Education Department staff, principals and headmasters.

“Out of a total of 300 computer laboratories, we only managed to get 250 for schools in the state.

“But only three of 250 computer labs have been completed thus far. The poor performance of these contractors has deprived our students of learning basic computer applications,” said Masidi who is also the Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister.

He said the contractors for the projects were appointed by the Education Ministry at the federal level and these contractors would not know the present situation in Sabah, unlike the local contractors.

“These contractors get into a situation where they do not know our situation, especially when building computer labs in the rural areas that do not have any electricity supply.

“It is not easy to implement projects awarded to the education sector in the state if they do not understand our situation.

“So I am hoping that the Education Ministry should give tender awards to the local contractors, and also trust the State Education Department to carry out the task to develop our education system,” he added.

Earlier in his speech, State education director Dr Haji Muhiddin Yusin said education infrastructural problems had put Sabah at the bottom of the list, especially in the interior.

He said there was a miss-match in teachers posting due to the shortage of English and Maths teachers.

“We receive more teachers who are teaching in other subjects, while we still need more than 300 English teachers and about 200 Maths teachers,” he said.

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DPM blames contractors for school computer labs debacle

We cannot wait until illegal immigrant problem solved – Masidi

TIMBALAN MENTERI LAWAT SEKOLAH DAIF

SABAH DAN SARAWAK MENJADI 'BUAH HATI' KERAJAAN PUSAT?

Inisiatif 1Malaysia Jamin Pembangunan Dan Kemajuan Sabah/Sarawak - Ongkili

PITAS, 4 Julai (Bernama) -- Sabah dan Sarawak bakal menikmati pembangunan dan kemajuan yang lebih tersusun menerusi program inisiatif 1Malaysia yang diperkenalkan di bawah pentadbiran Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Timbalan Presiden Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili berkata Sabah dan Sarawak menjadi 'buah hati' kerajaan pusat kerana Najib dan timbalannya Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin mengambil berat mengenai pembangunan di kedua-dua negeri itu.

Misalnya, katanya, Sabah dan Sarawak tidak dipinggirkan malah diberi pertimbangan wajar dalam perbincangan mengenai Bidang Keberhasilan Utama Negara (NKRA) dan makmal Bidang Ekonomi Utama Negara (NKEA).

Katanya kedua-dua negeri itu akan menerima faedah dalam inisiatif 1Malaysia, Pelan Transformasi Kerajaan (PTK), pelan transformasi ekonomi dan Rancangan Malaysia Ke-10.

Ongkili, yang juga Menteri Sains, Teknoloji dan Inovasi, berkata demikian ketika merasmikan Kem 1PBS Zon Utara, yang disertai oleh hampir 400 ahli dari lapan bahagian di kawasan itu.

Bagaimanapun, beliau memberi amaran bahawa ketika Barisan Nasional (BN) kuat, BN negeri pula harus sentiasa mendapat kepercayaan dan sokongan rakyat dengan menangani isu-isu yang dekat di hati masyarakat tempatan.

Ini termasuk isu

• pendatang tanpa izin,

• pemilikan tanah dan

• ketidakseimbangan dalam perkongsian kuasa di antara parti komponen, yang boleh mengancam gagasan itu,

katanya.

PATUTKAH KITA YANG MINTA MAAF KERANA BERTERUS TERANG ?

Masidi Cadang Peruntukan Khas Pembangunan Pendidikan Di Sabah

KOTA KINABALU, 23 Jun (Bernama) -- Satu peruntukan khas perlu diberikan untuk Sabah dalam Rancangan Malaysia Ke-10 (RMK-10) bagi pembangunan pendidikan terutamanya untuk merealisasikan projek-projek yang telah lama dicadangkan, kata Exco Pelajaran Sabah Datuk Masidi Manjun.

Peruntukan ini amat diperlukan berikutan projek penambahbaikan bagi sesetengah sekolah di negeri ini terpaksa ditunda kerana kekurangan peruntukan.

Mengambil contoh Sekolah Kebangsaan Darau di Menggatal dekat sini, Masidi berkata permohonan pembangunan sekolah diutarakan di bawah RMK-8 dan kemudian dibawa ke dalam RMK-9, tapi sehingga sekarang tidak kesampaian kerana peruntukan di bawah Kementerian Pelajaran, telah habis ketika tempoh itu.

"Minta maaf kalau ada yang tidak puas hati sebab saya berterus terang. Tetapi ini perkara serius. Saya cadangkan supaya ada siling perbelanjaan khusus untuk Sabah, yang dikeluarkan daripada siling perbelanjaan nasional. Cara ini kita boleh bawa ke depan sekiranya ada lebihan daripada peruntukan," katanya kepada pemberita selepas melawat sekolah rendah itu, Rabu.

Sekolah yang terletak kira-kira 15 kilometer dari Kota Kinabalu, sering dilanda banjir kilat dan cadangan pembangunan sekolah dikemukakan sejak RMK-8 dan RMK-9, namun sehingga kini peruntukan masih belum diperoleh.

Masidi, yang juga Menteri Pelancongan, Kebudayaan dan Alam Sekitar, berkata pegawai kanan Kementerian Pelajaran perlu turun padang dan melihat sendiri masalah di sekolah-sekolah kerana masalah yang dihadapi kadang-kala bukan hanya daripada segi kewangan tetapi juga isu birokrasi.

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KERAJAAN MEMBERIKAN FOKUS YANG SERIUS TERHADAP USAHA MEMBASMI KEMISKINAN MASYARAKAT LUAR BANDAR DI PEDALAMAN SABAH DAN SARAWAK

SK Darau Perlu Bangunan Baru Di Bawah RMK-10

Sabah to propose separate expenditure ceiling for education

PRK KERUSI KALABAKAN ?

Ghapur terguris dakwaan Zahrain lepaskan kerusi MP

May 11, 2010 KUALA LUMPUR, 11 Mei — Datuk Abdul Ghapur Salleh didakwa Datuk Seri Zahrain Hashim sebagai antara lapan wakil rakyat BN, kononnya diumpan bagi menyertai rancangan Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim mengambil alih kerajaan pada 16 Sept 2008, bertekad melepaskan kerusi Parlimen.

Ghapur mengosongkan kerusinya akhir Mac lalu, tetapi Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak dikatakan telah menggesa beliau menarik balik surat peletakan jawatan awal April.

Ahli Parlimen Kalabakan ini yang dihubungi enggan mengulas isu berkenaan.

The Malaysian Insider difahamkan wakil rakyat Sabah ini mengambil pendirian luar biasa demi menjaga maruahnya apabila ada segelintir pemimpin BN peringkat nasional dan negeri melabelkan beliau sebagai “orang Anwar” selain berhasrat untuk keluar parti.

Ghapur dikatakan mengemukakan surat letak sebagai wakil rakyat kepada Speaker Dewan Rakyat Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia kira-kira dua minggu selepas Zahrain, bekas pemimpin PKR yang kini merupakan Ahli Parlimen Bebas Bayan Baru, mendedahkan di Dewan Rakyat nama lapan wakil rakyat di Dewan Rakyat.

Zahrain yang keluar PKR Februari lalu membuat pendedahan itu pertengahan Mac lalu.

Sumber memberitahu, Ghapur telah memaklumkan Speaker dan Najib bahawa beliau sedia melepaskan kerusinya jika ada pihak yang masih mencurigai kesetiaannya kepada Umno dan BN.

Malah The Malaysian Insider juga difahamkan Najib, yang juga Pengerusi BN telah memujuk Ghapur agar menarik balik keputusannya atas alasan perikatan masih memerlukan kepimpinan beliau.

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SEKALI LAGI SABAH DAN SARAWAK SELAMATKAN BN…

"IF THEY DON'T USE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO CAPITALISE ON THE ADVANTAGE, THAT MEANS OUR LEADERS ARE NOT INTERESTED IN SOLVING SABAH'S PROBLEMS AND ARE ONLY INTERESTED IN MONEY."

Jeffrey seeks talks with PM on new 20-point deal

By Joseph Bingkasan

KOTA KINABALU: Maverick politician Jeffrey Kitingan wants to renegotiate the Malaysia Agreement, the founding document of federation, and is seeking a meeting with the Prime Minister to do so.

He hopes to strike a renewed agreement on the rights of Sabah and Sarawak as members of the Malaysian federation.

He said the two states were in an advantageous position because the federal administration depended on the bloc of MPs from the two states to remain in power. (There are 56 parliamentary seats for the two states out of a total of 222 in the Dewan Rakyat; all but four are held by Barisan Nasional members.)

"Sabah and Sarawak control the Parliament. We control the government. Without Sabah and Sarawak, the present government would have collapsed," he said, in a reference to the crucial importance of the Barisan Nasional's eastern seats underpinning the party's current 61-seat majority in the Dewan Rakyat.

"We can capitalise on this situation and actually bring the federal government to the table and negotiate a new deal, a renewed Malaysia Agreement, a renewed 20 Points,” he said.

However, he would need the backing of Sabah's BN leaders to make such a meeting happen.

"If they don't use this opportunity to capitalise on the advantage, that means our leaders are not interested in solving Sabah's problems and are only interested in money."

He said the proposed meeting should include veterans with some knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the formation of Malaysia.

Suspicious observers

He would not go into more detail about his plans, saying: “It's better to go direct and discuss rather than talk about it publicly.”

Anticipating attacks from suspicious observers, he said the proposed meeting had “nothing to do with politics or plans to start a new party”.

Earlier this month, Jeffrey, who is PKR's chief for Sabah and Sarawak, led a delegation from the so-called Common Interest Group of Malaysia on a visit to London where they met members of the British Parliament to present the East Malaysian states' grievances over the Malaysia Agreement, to which Britain was a signatory.

"We consider the British government still responsible for our welfare, our interests and our rights in the Federation of Malaysia as Britain was the one which had handed us to the federation," he said when announcing the visit last month.

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Change or be forever on the margin, Sabahans told

SENARAI LAPAN ANGGOTA PARLIMEN BN 'LOMPAT PARTI' MASUK PKR ?

DEWAN RAKYAT: Zahrain Dedah Lapan Anggota Parlimen 'Lompat Parti'

KUALA LUMPUR, 18 Mac (Bernama) -- Anggota Parlimen Bayan Baru Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohamed Hashim Khamis mendedahkan nama lapan anggota Parlimen yang disebut-sebut akan melompat parti ke PKR bagi menjayakan rancangan pembangkang untuk mengambil alih kerajaan pusat pada 16 Sept 2008.

Mereka ialah Datuk Seri Abdul Ghapur Salleh (BN-Kalabakan), Datuk Seri Anifah Aman (BN-Kimanis), Datuk Bung Moktar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan), Datuk Chua Soon Bui (Bebas-Tawau), Datuk Eric Majimbun (Bebas-Sepanggar).

Nama lain yang disebut ialah Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi (BN-Batu Pahat), Datuk Seri Tengku Azlan Sultan Abu Bakar (BN-Jerantut), Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (BN-Gua Musang), katanya menyambung perbahasan usul menjunjung kasih titah ucapan Yang di-Pertuan Agong di Dewan Rakyat di sini hari ini.

Zahrain juga mendedahkan seorang Timbalan Speaker juga dikatakan akan menyertai PKR.

Kenyataan itu menyebabkan Timbalan Speaker Dewan Rakyat Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar mencelah bertanya "Timbalan Speaker yang mana (Zahrain maksudkan)?" menyebabkan Dewan diselubungi gelak ketawa anggota Parlimen.

Semalam, tindakan Zahrain mendedahkan kepincangan PKR dan pakatan pembangkang yang diterajui Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim menyebabkan ketua pembangkang itu bertindak keluar dewan.

Zahrain berkata beliau yakin tindakannya keluar parti adalah tindakan tepat kerana tidak mahu sejarah menghukumnya kerana tidak berbuat apa-apa ketika perjuangan PKR dan pakatan pembangkang semakin terpesong menjadi perjuangan peribadi yang sempit.

Dalam ucapannya hari ini, Zahrain juga mendakwa laman web Malaysiakini dan laman portal Raja Petra Kamaruddin (RPK) yang kini dalam pelarian telah diperkudakan pembangkang bagi mencapai matlamat agenda sempit mereka.

Beliau berkata tindakan itu terserlah selepas fitnah, pembohongan, putar belit dan serangan peribadi dilakukan oleh portal terbabit terhadap mana-mana pihak yang menghalang impian pembangkang untuk mengambil-alih kerajaan.

Untuk itu, Zahrain mendesak pihak berkuasa dan Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia (SKMM) untuk mengambil tindakan tegas dan menyiasat hubungan portal dan RPK dengan "politikus" dalam pakatan pembangkang.

Beliau memberi contoh bagaimana liputan forum tertutup anjuran Centre for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) di Washington, Amerika Syarikat, yang dihadiri rombongan anggota Parlimen Malaysia dikeluarkan di laman portal RPK sedangkan hanya wakil Malaysiakini dari San Francisco membuat liputan forum itu.

"Ini jelas membuktikan Malaysiakini dan Raja Petra bersekongkol dengan kepimpinan Pakaran Rakyat untuk melakukan putar belit laporan dan merosakkan nama baik terhadap sesiapa yang menjadi penghalang kepada impian mereka merampas Putrajaya tak kira apa cara sekalipun," katanya.

Zahrain mendakwa pembantu khas Anwar, Aasil Kazi Ahmad, turut campurtangan dengan meminta CSIS membatalkan forum yang dihadiri rombongan anggota Parlimen Malaysia dan menyifatkannya sebagai cara Anwar memonopoli sebarang pertemuan dengan pihak negara kuasa besar itu.

Beliau mendesak Kementerian Dalam Negeri (KDN) menyiasat latar belakang pembantu khas ketua pembangkang itu yang dikhuatiri adalah dalang antarabangsa yang memainkan peranan menggugat kestabilan negara.

Ketika ini, Datuk Idris Haron (BN-Tangga Batu) mencelah adakah Zahrain menyedari bahawa Anwar kini berada di luar negara atas tujuan tertentu, yang menyebabkan Wan Junaidi mengingatkan anggota dewan supaya tidak membuat sebarang andaian jika tidak mempunyai bukti.

Zahrain turut mencadangkan kaedah pelantikan baru bagi duta dan diplomat dengan melantik ahli politik yang berpengalaman terutama di negara kritikal seperti Britain, Australia, Turki, Indonesia, India dan negara Timur Tengah.

Ini kerana keupayaan pakatan pembangkang memburukkan dan menghasut negara asing membenci Malaysia adalah kerana kelemahan kerajaan (duta dan diplomat) mengatasi masalah itu dengan serius dan terancang.

TAKARON BANKAD - “CHANGE THE SHIRT” ?

Change the shirt

By Phlip Rodrigues

After nearly 50 years in Malaysia, Sabah is not a story that has a happy ring to it. It is still a backward state; in fact, it remains one of the poorest in the country. The gulf that separates the “land below the wind” from the peninsula is as wide and deep as the South China Sea.

Let's take a walk down history lane. In the early years, politics over there had a laid-back quality. After the northern Bornean state joined Malaysia in 1963, Sabah was ruled by a succession of parties -- the United National Kadazan Organisation (1963-64); the Sabah Chinese Association (1965-67); United Sabah National Organisation (1967-75), which continued to hold power until 1976; and the shortlived reign of Berjaya (44 days). Then a new leader named Datuk Harris Salleh helmed Berjaya and went on to govern the state from 1976 to 1985.

It was during Harris' watch that politics took a turbulent turn and Sabah was never the same again. Harris grew increasingly autocratic and arrogant and thought the sky would not fall on him. But one man in his ruling party had had enough of his antics. The rebel: Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan.

Pairin quit Berjaya and formed Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) to challenge Harris. But “dirty” Harris went ballastic – he immediately abolished Pairin's district of Tambunan. This audacious act got the people all riled up and they finally threw him out of office when he clashed with Pairin in the 1985 state election.

When Pairin was in the driver's seat, his nine years in power as Chief Minister were anything but peaceful. He was in an uneasy partnership with the BN coalition. Dark forces in the form of Umno overlords were already preparing to get rid of this upstart Huguan Siou (paramount chief of the Kadazandusun).

When Pairin took the bold step to pull out of the coalition to join forces with a prince named Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, Umno declared open warfare on him. It marched into Sabah on a spurious invitation of self-interested allies and promised the people a Sabah Baru in its strategy to wrest control of the state.

In the 1994 state polls, PBS managed to ward off the bullies but fell on the sword when PBS assemblymen defected to the other side. Pairin spent his time in the political wilderness while Umno and the band of PBS traitors gripped the levels of power firmly.

There was bad blood between Pairin and the man who was mostly responsible for grounding the state to dust – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The doctor held the favourite son of Sabah and his Kadazandusuns in utter contempt, describing his state as Malaysia's “Wild West”. He went all-out to diminish their influence by changing the electoral boundaries to give the Muslims a dominant hold on power. It was nothing short of the colonisation of Sabah.

The KL strongman even threatened to cut off funds to the state, prompting Pairin to retort: “You can criticise America for imposing sanctions on Iraq but you should not impose sanctions on one of your own states."

There was no stopping the devious machination of the federal leaders. They introduced the politics of development, pouring funds to develop this economic backwater. To soothe the ruffled feelings of the non-Muslims, it rotated the chief ministership post. This Sabah Baru gambit paid off handsomely – the haughty coalition won convincingly in the 1999 state election.

Even the Huguan Siou was shaken by the massive BN victory. For him, there was only one way out – and that was to join the BN boys. He was admitted to the graft-ridden club – and has ever since remained docile, quiet, obedient.

Meanwhile, the BN juggernaut went about with its  destructive ways. Emboldened by the solid mandate, it  scrapped the rotating chief ministership to ensure that only Umno is in control. It even allotted to itself half of the state assembly seats (32 out of 60), while relegating the others to the background.

The greedy, grasping centre implemented several policies designed to strip the state of its wealth and make it beholden to Kuala Lumpur. They “annexed” Labuan on the pretext it wanted to help ease the financial burden of administering the island. They made it a federal territory without paying the state a single sen. They packed most of the top posts in the federal departments with civil servants from the peninsula. And they made sure that big businesses  went mostly to peninsula-based companies.

Even in education, there was a whiff of perfidy – Sabah found that it could not call Universiti of Malaysia Sabah its own when it was built on its soil. Its students made up less than half of the student population, with the majority of them from Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia.

The biggest blow was dealt when Sabah, a resource-rich state, found itself deprived of oil and gas wealth.  The ravenous federal masters decided that oil did not belong to the state but to Malaysia. So, you must share your oil with the big peninsular brothers. In return for giving up its rights to the oil and gas, the state received a paltry royalty (five percent or RM351 million annually).

Once considered the second richest behind Selangor, Sabah has fallen on hard times: its poverty rate is now 16 percent. The RM19 billion allocated to the state under the Ninth Malaysia Plan was regarded as mere pittance – it formed only 8% of the national budget.

All these years, the big brothers have been riding roughshod over Sabah although they couched their cold treatment in the guise of national unity. Even after getting battered in 2008, and were luckily saved by the voters of Sabah, the previous flip-flop regime continued to give the state the cold shoulder.

Today, there are signs of restlessness in Sabah. We are not surprised. The rumblings of discontent and anger are getting louder  and louder. We can feel it. In haste, federal leaders have been making quick trips to Sabah to show their phony concern. But the people over there know that the politics of development – exploiting natural resources, buying votes, under-representing the majority – has failed, and failed miserably.

New forces have reshaped the political life of the country and one slogan may triumph in Sabah, come the next battle – takaron bankad. It's “change the shirt”. Change the shirt because the current government is not looking after the interest of the Sabahans.

Phlip Rodrigues is managing editor of Free Malaysia Today.