KOTA KINABALU: A divided Sabah is the best gift to political parties from the peninsula, says the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP).
Its president Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee said the "divide and rule" approach has frequently been used to prevent Sabah from regaining its rights through a strong, united voice.
SAPP has consistently emphasised the need for local parties to unite and repel interference by external quarters in the state elections, he said in a statement on Monday (Oct 13).
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"Already in the last two days, we have been seeing loads of banners being imported for a party from Peninsular Malaysia in Tawau," he said.
According to Yong, this highlighted and increasing effort to overshadow local parties, including those in Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).
Yong said Sabahans should not underestimate the peninsular parties' resources, as is evident currently from the influx of federal ministers and their respective entourages fishing for votes around the state.
This, he added, was only the start of wave after wave of federal resources ahead of the upcoming 17th state election.
The objective is to overwhelm local parties and knock them out, while grabbing power through local proxies, he said.
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"After that, the window of opportunity for Sabah to claim our legitimate rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) would be closed under the guise of national integration and so-called stability," he said.
Anyone hoping for a single party to win the state polls should think again, he added.
He cited the so-called "single party" rule of Berjaya from 1976 to 1985 and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) from 1985 to 1994, pointing out that neither party won single-handedly.
"Berjaya won in 1976 with the open support of the Federal Government.
"PBS beat Berjaya and won in 1985 because of a tactical electoral pact with fellow opposition party, Usno. Let us remind ourselves that unity is duty," he said.
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Yong said that as a nominated assemblyman for the past five years, he had noted the limitations of the state government and slow pace of development.
"There are huge tasks ahead for the incoming Sabah government.
"As a start, Sabah needs an annual budget of RM10bil (from the current RM7bil) to solve its basic infrastructure problems and flood issues.
"We need to invest in technology, education and health, as well as economic productive capacity.
"We need gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 8% for at least 10 years to fight poverty and create new wealth for the people," he said.
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This called for a huge leap forward in building capacity and efficiency, he added.
Ahead of the dissolution of the state assembly, SAPP and Sabah STAR had their memberships in GRS terminated over their decision to contest under their respective logos.
Yong said even Upko in Sabah Pakatan Harapan has proposed to contest using its own logo.
Yong noted that any rejection of co-operation among local parties is the best news for peninsular parties seeking to gain control of Sabah.
"The power to neutralise 'divide and rule' tactics lies in the hands of Sabahans, who must want local parties to be united," Yong said.
