KOTA KINABALU: Sabahans must reject attempts to make the state a political “guinea pig” in the upcoming state election, says Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) deputy president Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun.
He said that as the polls approach, political leaders are likely to make a variety of statements and remarks.
“However, I am offended by this particular notion of making Sabah a ‘laboratory’.
“It gives a perception that we are no more than just political guinea pigs,” he said, when launching the Gagasan Rakyat youth and wanita wings’ meeting yesterday.
Masidi said that such a statement implied Sabah’s insignificance, leading to disappointment among the people.
“All this time, have we not contributed to the wealth and strength of our country?
“After all the sacrifices, are we only qualified to be subjects of political experiments?
“We must reject any calls for Sabah to be a laboratory for political tests,” he said.
The state legislative assembly’s five-year term ends in September next year.
Masidi’s call came in the wake of a statement by Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who said the next Sabah election would be a “laboratory” to gauge the cooperation between Pakatan Harapan and the coalition.
Ahmad Zahid was reported to have said the state polls would be an important testing ground to assess the understanding between the two coalitions for the next general election.
When asked by reporters if his speech was directed towards Ahmad Zahid, Masidi said: “It is directed to anyone who thinks Sabah is a place to experiment with politics, not necessarily him.
“What I am saying is, please respect Sabahans. After all the contributions that we are making to the country, Sabah deserves to be more than just a place to experiment with politics,” he explained.
Masidi cited the two-year chief minister rotation system as an example of how Sabah has previously been the focus of political experiments.
However, he pointed out that the experiments, including the rotation of the chief minister, did not achieve the desired results.
