KOTA KINABALU: A day ahead of a crucial Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) meeting to formalise its electoral pact with Pakatan Harapan, the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) is pushing for only local parties to contest the coming state election.
SAPP president Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee said only Sabah parties should contest the polls because they are answerable and accountable to people in the state.
"Non-local parties are answerable to their political masters outside Sabah," he said in a statement on Tuesday (Sept 30).
He said that candidates from peninsula-based parties depend on their political leaders to approve their candidacies and questioned if they would champion Sabah rights.
Yong said a coalition of Sabah parties was "the most correct way forward" to form the state government.
"Considering that the dominance of Barisan Nasional/Umno is now a thing of the past, SAPP urges Sabahans to look at the successful and tested model of the political management of Sarawak," he said, adding that Sarawak shares many similarities with Sabah.
"We both champion MA63 and reclaim our rights and resources," he said.
"The Sarawak government is not compromised by having Peninsular-based party (members) in their Cabinet or any other part of their government. Sarawak is a tested success story," he said.
He said the political scenario in Malaysia had changed.
"Before the fall of Barisan/Umno in 2018, small parties needed the goodwill of big parties to be part of the federal government. But now, the reality is that big parties rely on small parties to form the government," he said.
He said Sabah is in dire need of financial resources to build up infrastructure, flood mitigation, education and health as well as its economy, adding that Sabah, (as well as Sarawak) need revenue from its natural resources for that.
