After the March 8 “political tsunami”, Sabah has been in the eye of the political storm in Malaysia, when the political leaders, MPs and people of Sabah woke up to the realisation of the completely new and critical role they play in Barisan Nasional politics.
For 45 years, Sabah politicians and people have been treated as step-children and progressively marginalised by the Barisan Nasional in its political chessboard.
I remember that when I spoke in Parliament in April last year about the discrimination and marginalisation of Sabah, with the Kadazan-Dusun-Murut community emerging as the new underclass in the state, the long-standing problems of illegal immigrants and the state having the highest rate of poverty in the country, no Barisan Nasional MP dared to speak up in support although privately outside Parliament they acknowledged the pertinence and relevancy of my speech.
The Barisan Nasional MPs and politicians from Sabah had not expected any change in their marginalised political role in the recent general election, but they were thrust into a completely unexpected status as a result of the March 8 “political tsunami” which saw Barisan Nasional suffering an ignominous debacle in Peninsular Malaysia – losing two-thirds parliamentary majority as well as power in five states, viz Penang, Perak, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan.
Overnight, from a weak position of the marginalised, Sabah and Sarawak found themselves in the role of “king-makers” in Barisan Nasional in Malaysian politics for their 54 MPs from the two states were the crucial and critical ones which saved Barisan Nasional from becoming the Opposition at the federal level.
Sabah and Sarawak should have 10 – 11 Ministers in the Federal Cabinet of 27 not only because 38.5% or 54 of the 140 BN MPs come from the two states (Sabah 24, Sarawak 30), but also for saving the BN from becoming an Opposition in Parliament!
When this new critical role of Sabah and Sarawak dawned on the Barisan MPs and politicians from the two states, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had already formed his Cabinet, appointing three Ministers from Sabah and two from Sarawak.
When Abdullah tried to respond to heightened Sabah demands for a fair and just deal for Sabah under the Malaysian sun, particularly in the distribution of political offices, the Prime Minister offered the Parliament Speakership to a Sabahan and the two Deputy Speaker posts to another Sabahan and a Sarawakian.
However, such an accommodation was most inadequate and unsatisfactory to ameliorate the Sabah discontents as evident from the speeches of BN and DAP MPs in the current parliamentary debate on the first policy debate after the March general election.
One Barisan Nasional Sabah MP after another, and one BN leader after another one like Bernard Dompok and Yong Teck Lee, are beginning to speak out, whether in Parliament or outside, on the host of Sabah grievances, whether on illegal immigrants; the crime and security situation; the lack of proper infrastructure like provision of reliable water and electricity supply; the Sabah “localisation” of government and quasi-government posts in Sabah whether federal, state or GLCs; the regression of Sabah from one of the richest states in Malaysia in the 70s to one of the poorest states three decades later and the abysmal five per cent oil royalty for Sabah.
These Sabah discontents, which had been in existence for the past four decades though hidden away in subterranean channels, suddenly found expression after the March 8 “political tsunami”, creating a ferment which has led to rampant speculation that there could even be a change of federal power.
The Prime Minister is coming to Sabah again at the end of the month. The question is whether Abdullah is capable of mollifying the Sabah discontents with acceptable concessions like the political will to resolve the long-standing problem of illegal immigrants in the state, the quadrupling of the five per cent oil royalty to Sabah to 20 per cent; the appointment of Sabahans to lead federal and state government as well as quasi-government bodies, like Sabah Petronas.
[Speech when opening the DAP Sabah Ka’amatan (Harvest) Festival 2008 at Tanjong Aru, Kota Kinabalu on Sunday, 18th May 2008 at 11 am]