KOTA KINABALU: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor’s promise to name a Chinese deputy chief minister if his government gets re-elected has been dismissed as nothing more than a political sweetener.
Sabah MCA Youth chief Roger Yapp Kah Chong, who is also political secretary to the Sabah Barisan National chairman, said the move was not sincere but simply a tactic to fish for support.
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“If Hajiji was really serious, he could have appointed a Chinese DCM when this government was first formed.
"He had full power and authority back then. Why bring it up only now? Clearly, there is a hidden agenda,” Yapp said on Wednesday (Sept 24).
He described the announcement as “seasonal politics” that appears when leaders feel their power is slipping away.
“People don’t want empty promises. What they need are long-term solutions that help with their daily lives like lower cost of living, better water and electricity supply, and proper roads. These are the real issues,” he said in a statement.
Yapp added that many Sabahans were already tired of leaders talking about positions and power instead of solving basic problems.
“When more time is spent bargaining for posts than (addressing) the people’s struggles, it shows clearly that power is the priority, not the people,” he added.
He also pointed out that the state government has not been free from scandals and integrity issues.
“Sabahans are not fooled. They know when promises are made just to cover up failures,” he added.
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According to Yapp, MCA and Barisan had long supported stronger Chinese representation in government, but it had to be done genuinely and not as a last-minute sweetener.
“True inclusiveness means doing the right thing from the start, not only when elections are near or political survival is at stake,” he said.
Parti Warisan also hit out at Hajiji, accusing him of recycling the state opposition party’s old policies and presenting them as his own.
Warisan senior advisor Dr Chong Eng Leong said Hajiji’s recent move to recognise the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) and offer scholarships for its holders was nothing new.
“That policy was approved under the Warisan-led government when Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal was chief minister. It was a landmark decision back then,” Chong said in a statement on Wednesday.
He said what made it worse was that Hajiji and his allies had previously mocked Warisan for pushing such policies, calling them unrealistic and populist.
“Now the same ideas are being repackaged and sold to the public as if they are new. Copying without credit is not leadership, it is hypocrisy,” he said.
Chong said real leadership requires vision, courage and honesty.
“Sabahans know who first recognised the UEC and who worked to ease financial burdens for students. They know Hajiji’s government is built on betrayal and borrowed ideas,” Chong stressed.
Both MCA and Warisan called on the people not to be swayed by what they described as last-minute political gimmicks, urging voters to demand sincerity and real solutions instead of promises made only when power is on the line.
