KOTA KINABALU – Peninsular political narratives should not define East Malaysian ones, said Sabah STAR leader Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan, following calls for the creation of the Borneo Bloc.
“We (Gabungan Rakyat Sabah) are already working together with Sarawak as a Borneo bloc. We have met each other and we have gone there and discussed how things can be moved.
“We want to define the politics of Borneo. We need to get that narrative and define the political direction. We don’t want to be defined by the political narrative of the peninsula,” he told The Vibes.
For instance, Kitingan reiterated that the need to restore state rights overrides Sabah and Sarawak’s need for a deputy prime minister post as offered by Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional.
He also expressed doubt over the deputy prime minister post offer, saying he hoped the post would not just be ceremonial.
“Well, I hope it is not an election gimmick. If it becomes a reality, it would be good. But it will be better if two other things happen.
“One, that the post will come with an important portfolio such as rural development, and that the rights of Sabah and Sarawak are restored.
“The most important thing right now is what is in the constitution, the financial revenue – the 40%... we can get billions from this. This is what we are looking for, even without the deputy prime minister post. This is good enough for us.
“With this, we would have our own development plans and political narrative in Sabah and Sarawak.”
Opposition party Warisan is also pushing for the Borneo Bloc agenda, with the party setting the implementation of state rights above federal positions.
In another development, Kitingan said he is confident Sabah STAR will be able to capture the Keningau and Penampang seats, the two federal seats allocated to the party in the 15th general election.
“I am very, very confident about Keningau because there is full cooperation from the other GRS parties. It won’t be just a 45-vote majority this time,” he said, referring to his victory in the 2018 general election.
As for Penampang, he sees supporter numbers for his party candidate, Kenny Chua, on an upward trend.
“We called Chua a wildcard and an underdog. But the support is growing. Sooner or later, we will get there. So we might just capture both seats. And if we do, I will be very happy.” – The Vibes, November 16, 2022
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