PAPAR: GRS candidate Tan Sri Anifah Aman will push Bongawan forward with the same force and determination he has long shown in advocating for Sabah’s rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), said Bongawan PGRS information chief Mohd Saidi Ibrahim.
“Anifah was the first to raise the issue all the way to the Federal Government, years before it became widely recognised,” he said, urging voters in Bongawan to place their trust in the former Foreign Minister.
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He emphasised that Anifah needs a strong mandate to continue defending Sabah’s rights under MA63, which, in turn, will bring significant development benefits to the constituency.
He described Sabah as being at a critical juncture in its relationship with the Federal Government and stressed the importance of electing leaders committed to defending the state’s interests at any cost.
“The issue of Sabah’s rights takes centre stage in this election. Almost every Sabahan is fighting for it. But we need a leader to lead the charge because the fight is far from over.
“The Federal powers surely will not back down. For this reason, we need a fighter, and Anifah has proven himself to be that person,” Saidi said.
Highlighting Anifah’s long-standing advocacy, he recalled that during his tenure in the Federal Cabinet, he was among the earliest Sabah leaders to raise MA63 directly with then-Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, pushing for recognition of Sabah’s constitutional entitlement to 40 per cent of its revenue.
He also noted Anifah’s efforts to unite leaders across political lines, including Umno, STAR and PKR, an uncommon show of bipartisan cooperation driven by the belief that Sabah’s interests must rise above party differences.
“At a time when many leaders hesitated to speak up, he personally funded early initiatives, coordinated memorandums and drove public awareness campaigns on MA63,” he said.
“Those efforts contributed to the formation of the first Federal committee dedicated to reviewing MA63.”
He said it was widely reported in 2015 how Anifah himself reflected on the challenges he faced.
“He recounted how, despite being Foreign Minister, no other Federal ministers from Sabah were willing to join him in advocating for the agreement.
“Frustrated, he reached out to Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) president Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan, who remained steadfast in the fight for Sabah’s rights.
“Together, they and other legal experts launched a coordinated push for MA63 that continues to this day.
“When he became a parliamentarian in 1999, he knew that one of the issues he needed to address was Sabah’s rights.
“But he lacked support from fellow parliamentarians and feared ending up like Jeffrey, who was incarcerated for 31 months under the ISA,” said Saidi.
He expressed confidence that, when given a mandate, Anifah could accelerate development in Bongawan while continuing to fight for Sabah’s rights at the Federal level.
“We need a strong leader to push for development in Bongawan and for Sabah’s rights. A lot of these matters involve dealing with the mighty Federal powers.
“So, vote for him. Bongawan and Sabah need a giant who can take on challenges, even near-impossible ones,” he said.
