7 WEAKNESSES OF WARISAN-LED GOVERNMENT
LABUAN, Sept 30, 2018:
Seven points - that is how Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili summed up how the Parti Warisan-led government made a mess of Sabah.
Addressing delegates at the 33rd P166 Labuan Parti Bersatu Sabah Annual General Meeting, here, today, the party’s Deputy President stressed that just four months into power, the state government has done nothing but damages affecting the wellbeing of Sabahans and Sabah’s economy.
“There is nothing concrete done because the legitimacy of the Warisan-led government is still questionable. (Datuk Seri) Shafie (Apdal) claimed they have the majority when UPKO President (Datuk Seri) Madius (Tangau) defected from Barisan Nasional to join his camp but nothing is legitimate until their status is determined by court,” he said.
He noted it was all deja vu for PBS, reminding them of the time when party President Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan was robbed of his power as the chief minister in 1994 by the BN government.
Kitingan won the election was again upsetted when several PBS leaders leapfrogged to join BN.
“Secondly, seemed that their 100 days election promises are meant to be broken. Recently, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad said their manifesto is not a bible to be fulfilled. By saying that, it is obvious that their manifesto was just meant to get people’s votes. It is obvious that these promises were made to lure votes. Nothing more,” he said.
Issuance of citizenship to illegal immigrants, commonly known as PATI, came in as Ongkili’s third point, stressing that registration for documents are carried out through town halls and roadshows.
“I have never come across a political party issuing identification documents to people,particularly foreigners and PATI.
“The Warisan-led government gave the excuse that the recent roadshows and town halls were meant to register the number of illegal immigrants in Sabah, but it is an open secret that issuing documents to non-Malaysians is part of their undertakings (when they become the government), and this is what they are doing now,” Ongkili pointed out.
The Kota Marudu Member of Parliament stressed that instead of giving out citizenships, those who had illegally entered and stayed in Sabah should be arrested and deported to their country of origins, as stated in the country’s law and regulations.
“We in PBS also believe that to reduce the numbers of PATIs in Sabah, all enforcement forces from police, marine and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency must beef up operations to cripple any efforts to enter our waters illegally,” he said.
Ongkili also said with the legitimacy of the state government is still in doubt, the state is losing investors’ confidence to do business in Sabah.
“The is no new investments coming in, projects are put on KIV (keep-in-view) because funds are frozen. Even contactors’ claims are not paid, thus hampering the progress of on-going projects.
“In addition, point five, the number of tourists had also gone down, with statistics showing that the current number of people holidaying in Sabah saw the lowest number in the last five years,” Ongkili said.
Point seven - interference in the civil servants works such as the appointing someone with no civil service background to head the state’s Water Department.
“When UPKO defected from BN, they claimed that it was done to protect the rights of Bumiputeras. But they did nothing when the former Water Department head, who is a Kimaragang ethnicity, was laid off,” he noted.
PBS, Ongkili stressed, had maintained its stand on these issues, and will continue to fight the rights of Sabah and Sabahans.
“The war cry ‘Sabah for Sabahans’ is too narrow. We also have relatives outside Sabah. So it should be renewed to ‘Sabah for Sabahans First’, where genuine Sabah citizens should be given priority on any rights, then Malaysians. There must be no space for PATI in Sabah. This is our land and we must protect our land,” he said.
He said the party’s struggles are pure and sincere and that members should not be ashamed to fight these battles, for the good of the state and its people.