KOTA KINABALU – Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) MPs have stressed that the party will not be rushed into making an electoral pact with other parties or coalition for the mere purpose of being in power.
Kalabakan MP Ma’mun Sulaiman said that any electoral pact Warisan may enter should reflect the balance between Sabah and Sarawak’s inherent rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and the party’s aspirations to rebuild Malaysia.
“Warisan cannot enter a pact for the mere reason of coming into power. We need to ensure that we also have the upper hand on matters relating to MA63 and the growth of less developed states if we come into power through that pact, and this must be stated clearly.
“Sabah shares a plethora of problems – in poverty, education, health(care) standards, job and business opportunities for the youth, infrastructure, security and IT – with other, less developed states such as Sarawak, Kelantan, Perak and Terengganu.
“If the pact is only to ensure Sabahan politicians become ministers, then the pact is useless because it will not solve our fundamental problems,” he said in a joint statement today.
He said Warisan believes the correct approach is for all these states to sit together and find the right solution with the federal government, and any consensus achieved to be made a national priority without having to resort to ‘race or religious polemics’.
“Warisan has Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, who understands the needs of the poor and ordinary Malaysians because he also came from an ordinary family.
“He understands the multitude of problems that the country faced throughout his 30 years of service in the federal government in various ministries.
“We can come out with the right economic development plans in these less-developed states and make it a national priority,” he said.
Papar MP Ahmad Hassan said Sabah and Sarawak have been denied the chance to lead the nation despite many of their politicians being capable of doing so.
“I am not talking about ministerial posts, but the creation of a lasting formula to enable more eligible civil servants from both states to be appointed to lead federal government offices.
“Don’t simply talk about respecting Sabah and Sarawak’s rights in MA63 as if both states are operating in silos in Malaysia, where all we need is some regional autonomy and monetary entitlement in return for our oil and gas. – The Vibes, April 10, 2021
