KOTA KINABALU – It is pointless to debate on the 27 supply bills at the committee stage when Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders themselves had agreed to allow the Budget to pass on November 26, said Warisan's treasurer-general today.
Terrence Siambun’s comments come after Johor DAP member Dr Boo Cheng Hau’s statement that the eight Warisan MPs failed to exercise their fiduciary duty to Sabah and Malaysia by abstaining from two key votes on Monday.
Siambun said: “Boo should instead pose the question to opposition chief (Datuk Seri) Anwar Ibrahim as to why he failed to perform his fiduciary duty to object to the Budget last week.
“What is the point of going through the committee level debate anymore if the policies in the Budget which were deemed disadvantageous to Sabahans by Boo, had been approved by Anwar in the first place?
“So if Anwar has solid and convincing support from the MPs in government, then he does not need the eight Warisan MPs to defeat any of the 27 supply bills at the committee level.”
In a statement today, he said it is high time for Sabah politicians to hold their heads high, strive for unity of the nation for the sake of economic prosperity and not allow themselves to be used politically for the personal interests of others.
“We have seen how Sabahan BN and PN political leaders are pressured by their Malayan political leaders just to ensure that the latter will maintain power at the federal level and it seems to me that Boo has this same mindset too.
“He is pressuring the eight Warisan MPs into submission by using Sabah and the role of elected representative as points in his argument.
“Boo may have forgotten or is perhaps unaware that Warisan had fought against (Datuk Seri) Najib Razak, (Tan Sri) Musa Aman and Umno and won because we held our heads high. I don’t think we are ready to submit to Anwar, who is the opposition chief at this moment.”
Siambun also said that it is rather simplistic for Boo to conclude that the Warisan MPs had failed to protect Sabah’s interests as elected representatives.
“Almost all of the Warisan MPs gave their input on the Budget tabled by the finance minister by speaking up in the Dewan Rakyat, which was aired live, and I am proud that they have delivered the aspirations of Sabahans.”
Prior to the tabling, the budget was seen as a test of Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s leadership and Anwar’s opportunity to seize power. – The Vibes, December 2, 2020
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