By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani | The Malaysian Insider

PETALING JAYA, July 4 — Lim Kit Siang said today that the lack of economic opportunities and development in Sabah had caused an exodus to Kuala Lumpur for greener pastures.

“After 47 years, Sabahans are now concerned that they have become the minority and strangers in their own land. How can Sabah’s population of 400,000 during the formation of Malaysia in 1963 be now multiplied to over three million today. Super producers in Sabah, where did they come from?” he said during Pakatan Rakyat’s first meeting of Sabahans in Klang Valley.

However, Lim pointed out that many Sabahans have been exploited with false promises which have left many to be unemployed and homeless.

He added that Sabah still lacked the basic infrastructure and necessities to accommodate the growing number of unemployed.

“Something has gone very wrong that Sabah has become so poor. The state is lacking the necessary infrastructure. The federal government had promised that all development in peninsular will also be in Sabah but now even electricity, water and broadband is lacking.

“That is why it is important to have a study and forum to discuss the problems affecting Sabahans. We cannot solve all the problems but we need to start so that we can begin to resolve them,” he said.

Lim also stressed that Sabah had been cheated by Barisan Nasional.

“All are Malaysians including the people of Sabah. It cannot be denied that the promises made when Sabah joined to form Malaysia in 1963 have been broken. For ordinary Sabahans, their economic and social status have not changed after all these years,” he said.

He said that Sabahans have the choice to change for a better future.

“We need to change the power equation in this nation. This cannot be said when Sabah and Sarawak still remain as fixed deposits for Barisan Nasional. If Sabah and Sarawak decides on change then Anwar can become our next prime minister,” he said.

Earlier only 80 people turned up for the forum held to discuss the wellbeing of Sabahans in the Klang Valley.

Speakers and spectators voiced their frustrations with the inability of Barisan Nasional to resolve the economic dilemmas affecting the state.

Participants complained that they were forced to come to Kuala Lumpur because there were no job opportunities in Sabah.

Father Valentine Gompok claimed that students had to resort to prostitution to pay for their debts and workers were misled into leaving their homes with false promises.

PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail questioned how a state which is oil rich could become one of the poorest in the country.

“We must not let ourselves to be exploited. What can we do? We all can do something. We are the ones that can make a change and [don’t] let yourself become a spectator. If we begin now then we can be sure of change,” she said.

She added the federal government had taken everything from Sabah but has failed to protect its people.