Kota Kinabalu: Sabah parties must stand together or risk being crushed by the massive resources of West Malaysian political forces, according to SAPP President Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee.
“Do not underestimate Malaya parties’ resources. The non-stop influx of Federal ministers and their entourage roaming around Sabah to fish for votes is only the beginning of waves after waves of Federal resources that will come to knock down and knock out local parties, including those in the GRS,” he said in a statement.
He said massive amounts of cash would flood into Sabah, with West Malaysian parties aiming to seize control through local proxies.
“After that, the window of opportunity for Sabah to claim our legitimate rights under MA63 would be closed under the guise of national integration and so-called stability,” he said.
He urged local party leaders who believe they can single-handedly secure a comfortable majority of the 73 seats to think again - not for themselves but for Sabah.
He cited historical precedent, noting that neither Berjaya (1976-1985) nor PBS (1985-1994) won through single-party dominance alone.
“Berjaya won in 1976 with open federal support. PBS beat Berjaya in 1985 because of a tactical electoral pact with fellow opposition party Usno.
Drawing on his five years as a Nominated Assemblyman, Yong pointed out the huge tasks ahead for the incoming Sabah government, including addressing slow development and infrastructure limitations.
He called for Sabah’s annual budget to increase from RM7 billion to RM10 billion to tackle basic infrastructure and flood problems, with investments in technology, education, health and economic capacity.
“We need GDP growth of eight per cent for at least 10 years to fight poverty and create new wealth for the people,” Yong said, adding that this requires a huge jump in capacity building and efficiency.
“Any rejection of cooperation among Sabah local parties is the best news for Malaya parties who want to gain control of the Sabah government. The power to kill any ‘divide and rule’ tactics by Federal power lies in the hands of Sabahans,” he said.
