Two Sabah Barisan Nasional leaders issued the same warning about the heavy price that Barisan Nasional will have to pay for the continued neglect, discrimination and marginalisation of Sabah, but is the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak really listening?

These are extracts from Malaysiakini reports on the PBS and UPKO annual general meetings opened by Najib in Kota Kinabalu on Sunday:

(1) Neglect Sabah at your own peril, BN told
Joe Fernandez
Nov 10, 09

Former Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) hawk Bernard Giluk Dompok fears that if the Barisan Nasional may pay a heavy price if it continues to pay scant attention to important issues in Sabah.

He foresees the political tsunami that swept Peninsular Malaysia on March 8, 2008 being repeated in Sabah and Sarawak if local issues are not addressed urgently.

“It is not an easy task to identify the root causes of a problem,” said Dompok, who broke away from PBS in1994 to head United PasokMomogun KadazanDusunMurut Organisation (Upko).

Dompok, who is federal minister for plantation industries and commodities, is of the view that the more things seem to change in Sabah, the more they tend to remain the same.

“This brings the ruling coalition back to Square One each time, and is testing the people’s patience,” he said.

“It is not that voters have any particular love for the opposition. But they are frustrated with the lackadaisical attitude of the federal government in dealing with the issues brought to its attention.”

Dompok identified the problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah and religious issues as among the many aspects underlining BN’s inability to change with the times.

“The perennial problem of illegal immigration has long been the issue in Sabah and the federal government has given a commitment to settle this issue,” said Dompok.

The people understand the obvious need for immigrant labour but the real issue, he said, is with foreigners with illegal Mykad who are now eligible to vote.

“This is the hardest for Sabahans to accept. There are also thousands who have sneaked in through the back door and acquired Malaysian personal documents.”

An idea of the scale of the problem can be discerned from recent figures released by the Home Ministry in Parliament. Of the 610,104 foreigners currently in Sabah, 317, 837 are illegals and 57,197 are considered refugees by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The Upko chief reiterated that his party wants a royal commission of inquiry, a long-standing demand, into the real issues brought on by the presence of foreign labour in Sabah.

He said that although Upko is a small party – four MPs, six state assemblypersons and one senator – its role in propping up BN should not be underestimated.

“Upko is prepared to face difficulties and setbacks in elections in defence of a just cause. We will stand up against injustices. Upko is committed to ensuring a place for every citizen under the Malaysian sun.”

‘End the discrimination’

Dompok also said discrimination is rampant in religious matters.

“Several Christian churches which have brought in Bibles from Indonesia are still waiting for their Holy Books to be released to them. There are two court cases waiting to be heard with regard to the word ‘Allah’. These are unnecessary cases.”

Among other issues, Dompok highlighted the uncertain fate of the memorandum that he submitted to Najib in June on the problems of mission schools in Malaysia.

(2) Sabah BN’s fixed deposit but at a price
Joe Fernandez
November 8, 2009

Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), the state’s oldest at 24 years, is in a festive mood again this year, notes party president Joseph Pairin Kitingan, “but it is also a time to call a spade, a spade”.

However, the bouquets came first, the brickbats very much later, in true Dusun (and Malay) tradition. ..

For starters, Pairin pointed out that many schools in the rural areas and the deep interior regions are in a dire state of neglect.

He added that Chinese and missionary schools needed help too and not just the government schools in the towns.

The result was that educational standards in Sabah were far below national standards and this was something that warranted the immediate and serious attention of the federal government.

“There are untold difficulties in raising educational standards in Sabah and Sarawak,” said Pairin in stressing on the theme that “our children are our treasure and our future”.

“This (education) is where nothing can be achieved without political will and the longterm commitment of the federal government.”

Pairin also dwelt at some length on the increasing public complaints about the state of the roads, power blackouts, water shortages, the less than satisfactory penetration of telecommunication services, and the ‘appalling’ public healthcare system. BMW XPo. 3 days only. Click for details.

Kota Kinabalu, for example, is still without a general hospital. Needless to say, he pointed out, all these issues obviously provide political ammunition for the opposition in the forthcoming general election.

No equal treatment

There’s the popular public perception that Sabah and Sarawak were not being equally treated as Peninsular Malaysia, noted Pairin.

For example, the poverty eradication programmes look good on paper but implementation has been lagging and downplays the key role of women.

“One way out of the poverty trap is through the contract farming system in the rural areas. But this is something that needs the understanding and support of the federal government.”

Elsewhere, he raised the burning question of the longstanding illegal immigrant menace in Sabah.

“It is clear than we need a once and for all solution to the problem of the illegal immigrants in Sabah. So far, there have been no serious and concrete actions taken to deal with the menace. Only piecemeal and temporary solutions have been taken so far,” he observed.

The PBS leader pointed out that hordes of illegal immigrants can be seen wandering around everywhere in Sabah, right before the eyes of the law, “as if they own the place.”