Shafie vows to continue the struggle of Adenan
Published on: Sunday, January 22, 2017
Kota Kinabalu: Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) President Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal vowed to continue the struggle of the late Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem; only this time, the battleground would be Sabah.Speaking after a walkabout at Lido market here, Saturday, he said the Malaysia Agreement 1963 must be implemented immediately, echoing the earlier call made by the party's Secretary General Loretto Padua Jr."We do not have to debate anymore. We do not have to have a dialogue. There have been too many dialogues.
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We already discussed Sabah's rights (in 1963). We already know our rights. The most important part is to implement it," he said.Shafie was commenting on the remark made by Special Tasks Minister Datuk Teo Chee Kang who implied that Warisan rejects attempts to uphold the spirit and dignity of Malaysia Agreement 1963.He added that actually, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is already aware of the agreement and he knows how much Sabah should get financially."We should receive our share. Nowadays, everything goes to Putrajaya. If you want to fish in Kudat (deep sea), you need to apply for the licence in Putrajaya. They collect all kinds of taxes from Sabah and now we have to kiss their hands to ask for highways," he said.
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The Semporna MP said that with the demise of Adenan, he would keep the torch burning when it comes to fighting for the rights of Sabah and Sarawak."We will make sure the agreement is honoured once we become the State government. Take it from me, vote for us so that we can prove it to you," he said.
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Adenan, who passed away suddenly two weeks ago, was much loved not only by Sarawakians whom he served, but also a large portion of Sabahans who saw him as a leader who would not kowtow to the Federal government.This, some attributed to the fact that Adenan led a local-based party, affording him a greater independence, unlike Sabah which is dominated by Malaya-based Umno, and by that extension therefore is not as free as they have to rely on Putrajaya.Earlier, Shafie led other prominent Warisan leaders including Deputy President Darell Leiking and Vice Presidents Datuk Jaujan Sambakong and Junz Wong for a walkabout at the Lido market to meet and greet the locals and distribute calendars and Mandarin oranges.He urged that this tradition should be preserved and enhanced to ensure that the younger generation could learn and appreciate the importance of unity in a multicultural and multiracial society.Nation building, he added, cannot be done overnight as establishing ministries to distribute aids and drafting relevant policies to safeguard unity will not necessarily yield the desired fruits without putting the lesson into practice."When we take over the State government, I am confident that we will lay out policies to ensure that, not only to respect the various ethnic groups and their culture, but also that we have the mechanism to enhance them."We want the multicultural Sabah to develop not because of BR1M or Pan Borneo Highway alone. Infrastructure is good but human interaction, the unity of the people is more important," he said.Shafie lamented that despite having been in Malaysia for more than 50 years, the roads in the State are still in pitiful conditions despite the State's rich natural resources compared to other states in the country.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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