KOTA KINABALU: "Sabah for Sabahans" is not just a slogan but a call for a long-overdue restoration of balance, says Sabah STAR president Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan (pic).
The Deputy Chief Minister I stressed that it was not meant to be divisive but a call to regain what belongs to Sabah.
He was responding to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s statement labelling the sentiment as unproductive and detrimental to national unity.
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“Sabah for Sabahans is not a slogan of defiance. It is a rightful stand for political dignity, constitutional integrity and historical truth,” he said in a statement on Monday (May 12).
Kitingan, who is also state Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister and Sabah STAR president, said Sabahans did not need permission from any federal leader to speak up for their rights.
He said Sabah was never meant to be a subordinate state, having formed Malaysia in 1963 as an equal partner alongside Sarawak and Malaya under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“Federal leaders must remember that Sabah has the right to its rights.
"What is truly divisive is not our assertion of those rights, but the persistent arrogance from the Federal Government that refuses to acknowledge them,” he added.
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Citing decades of centralised control and exploitation, Kitingan listed a series of grievances, including the federal takeover of oil and gas resources in 1976, the erosion of Sabah’s equal partner status, and demographic manipulation through Project IC.
He also pointed to the economic disparities and political interference that had stifled Sabah’s development and autonomy over the years.
“Our forests, land and resources were alienated, our infrastructure lags, and our voices in federal positions remain minimal. Yet we are told to stay silent while federal parties bargain over who gets to rule Sabah,” he said.
He insisted that Sabahans must be allowed to chart their own course and that any cooperation with Putrajaya must be based on mutual respect, not subservience.
“We will work with the Federal Government when it benefits Sabah, but we will no longer tolerate manipulation or exploitation. Sabah is not and never was a colony of Malaya," he said.
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Kitingan also said decisions affecting their future would be made by Sabahans themselves, and not in Putrajaya.
Ahmad Zahid, who is Umno president and Barisan Nasional chairman, recently said that as Sabah is part of the Malaysian federation, maintaining a close relationship with Putrajaya is essential for the state's prosperity.
He stressed the need for cooperation between federal and state parties, noting that Barisan intends to contest the seats it won in the 2020 Sabah election.
He said that while Barisan had 14 assemblymen and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS, of which Sabah STAR is a component) had 11 at the time, the latter now holds 42 seats because of party hopping.
The Unity Government Coalition Secretariat recently announced a Barisan and Pakatan Harapan alliance for the upcoming state election.
In response, Chief Minister and GRS chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the ruling coalition is prepared to contest solo, maintaining that Sabah-based parties should lead the state government, given their better grasp of local needs and cultural realities.
