Sabah PKR chief Datuk Mustapha Sakmud (centre) rallies supporters during the Jelajah Harapan Urang Sabah programme in Sandakan on Friday (Oct 31).
KOTA KINABALU: PKR Sabah chief Datuk Mustapha Sakmud has embarked on a statewide tour to explain the Madani government’s contributions over the past three years.
He said some political leaders were refusing to acknowledge the Madani government’s efforts in Sabah, creating the impression among Sabahans on the ground that nothing had been done for the state.
“The Madani government is less than three years old, but has given a lot in development budget back to the people of Sabah.
“We found that there are a lot of leaders who have gone on the ground and are not appreciative of what has been done by the Madani government. That is why we want to explain to the people of Sabah,” he said during the first stop of the Harapan Urang Sabah tour in Gum-Gum on Friday (Oct 31).
Mustapha added that the Federal Government had channelled billions in development funds to Sabah over the past three years, yet these efforts were being politically downplayed in the lead-up to the state polls.
Meanwhile, he said the accusation that Sabah was being sidelined from the Malaysia-US Agreement on Reciprocal Trade was misleading, as the zero-tariff list includes key commodities from Sabah and Sarawak, such as palm oil.
“Our palm oil is not impacted by this tariff, so this benefits Malaysians and the people of Sabah,” he said.
Mustapha also said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had strengthened Malaysia’s international standing, including at the recent Asean summit, and continued to push for the phased implementation of Sabah and Sarawak’s rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“He (Anwar) agrees (to implement MA63), but he said discussions are needed so we can settle these issues step by step… it will be implemented, but in stages. There are a lot of things we need to consider,” he said.
On the seat negotiations for the Sabah election, Mustapha said Pakatan Harapan and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) had finalised all arrangements save for one seat, and that Pakatan candidates' announcements are expected around Nov 9 or 10.
“For Sandakan, insyaAllah we will get two seats, which are Gum-Gum and Karamunting,” he added.
