KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin has defended the proposal for a new Malaysia Agreement by Barisan Nasional, saying Sabah leaders must be smart in claiming what is owed by Putrajaya to the state.
The Sabah Barisan chief stressed that he was not a "tali barut" (stooge) who wanted to deny efforts to realise the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) but was merely pointing out that state leaders must be shrewd in demanding Sabah rights to be fulfilled by the Federal Government.
"I am not a stooge. I am just saying that the time has come for Sabah leaders to act smartly and I have never said anything to deny the MA63," he said in a statement here on Thursday (July 7).
"What I was saying is that leaders who are clever will find solutions but leaders who are weak and insecure will continue playing up the issue despite knowing it will never be resolved," he added.
Bung, who is also Sabah Deputy Chief Minister, said this in response to brickbats aimed at Barisan leaders including himself in relation to efforts to fully realise the MA63.
Barisan deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan had previously come under fire for proposing a new Malaysia Agreement at the Sabah Barisan convention last Saturday (July 2).
Mohamad, popularly known as Tok Mat, has since clarified that he was merely putting forward a suggestion.
Among those who had criticised the proposal were Sabah and Sarawak Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili, who is also the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president, and Sarawak Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahmah Hamzah.
Parti Warisan’s Kunak representative Norazlinah Arif had also previously criticised Bung for backing the new deal.
Meanwhile, Bung said smart leaders were those who could find effective solutions to realise the MA63 without being overly emotional.
"There is a proverb that says leaders who are not smart are like dogs who continue barking at a hill despite knowing the hill will never fall.
"But smart leaders are like clever dogs that will find a way up the hill to get what they want," he said.
He explained that the proposed new deal meant that all issues that obstruct the full implementation of the MA63 would be removed, adding only then would Sabah obtain more financial allocation.
Bung said it was clear the promises under MA63 had not been resolved in all this time.
"The reality is the MA63 has not been resolved despite being debated thousands of times, leaders coming and going, and even a leader being imprisoned for being extreme in speaking about the issue.
"But yet, the struggle to claim Sabah’s rights under the MA63 has not been realised," he said.
The Sabah Umno chief also hit out at former Barisan leaders who were only now being vocal about the issue but remained silent when they were part of the previous Barisan government.
"There were many emotional leaders who got lost along the way. The PBS president, Warisan as well as Upko leaders were all once part of the Barisan government.
"But they only chose to keep quiet and when Barisan lost, they were the first to ditch the coalition or switch sides much earlier," he said.
Bung also questioned the motives of these leaders, claiming they were not thinking of how to develop Sabah but were merely planning how to win in the coming general election so that they could return to power.
"Their statements are only for political mileage but they are not thinking of the best ways to resolve issues pertaining to Sabah’s development and the wellbeing of its people," he said.
