‘New Deal’ among resolutions
TAWAU: Sri Tanjong assemblyman cum Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sabah secretary cum Pakatan Harapan (PH) Sabah strategy and manifesto director, Chan Foong Hin, says the party’s New Year 2018 resolution is to see a ‘New Hope, New Deal’ for the good of all Sabahans.
According to Chan, the year 2018 will be an important year in Malaysia’s history, a year of which the ‘Father of All Elections’, (PM) Najib’s description for the 14th general election (GE14), would be held.
“I hope to see a new deal offered to Sabah and implemented in the whole of Malaysia, after GE14. More meaningful devolution of power and transparent fiscal decentralisation should be the agenda forward.
“It’s good to see both sections of the political divide offering a better deal for Sabah, a long marginalised territory in the Federation.
“Equal partner status has been neglected for so long, and our value rediscovered after the current government realised the importance to keep Sabah as fixed deposit, in the event of the emergence of a two-party system in Peninsula.
“It’s nothing personal. It’s not Mahathir who marginalised Sabah, nor Najib as the one who is willing to help Sabah. It’s about the centralisation of power and the dominance of Putrajaya over the states.
“When Umno/BN one party rule is so strong and established, no one feels that it is important to develop the peripheral states as all are concentrated in the centre, Klang Valley.
“Sarawak BN has always been cited as the best example to manifest the advantage of local party’s ruling the state? But why didn’t they fight against central government’s hegemony during Mahathir’s 22 years tenure? Why didn’t they voice out the oil royalty injustice and the rights over the sea territory of Sarawak in the past?
“Obviously, the window of opportunity has only just arrived, when democracy started to work with the contest between two political camps, BN and PR (subsequently by PH) since 2008. With a few states under the oppositions rule, the power centralisation in Putrajaya started to loosen up,” Chan said.
“On realising this, it becomes a superficial argument that Sabah is for Sabahans, or that only local party can work for a better future for Sabah. There has been a lot of self betrayal examples in the history, our own fellow Sabahan giving away our rights and didn’t dare to fight against the dominant Putrajaya.”
In order to bring a ‘new deal’ to Sabah, one must change the current over centralised type of federalism. New deal for Sabah means a ‘New Dawn for Malaysia’,” Chan said.
According to him, the only way to restore Sabah’s rights is through both legislature and administrative arenas where people can exert their power and exercise their mandate.
“Contest between political parties that can offer a pragmatic better deal would give a better position for the people to choose. The political way is the pragmatic approach to restore Sabah’s rights.
“Any legal means championed by certain MA63 activists are only offering false hopes and hence mislead the people.
“What is the point of bringing a suit to the International Court, or sending delegates to London to study documents and claiming that the Queen has obligations over our dilemma here?
“Rights wouldn’t be installed by showing documents alone. The Queen did not even have a say in the UK self disintegration, when Scotland had the intention to secede.
“Our own destiny lies in our own hands. We, the people in Malaysia, are the ones to decide the future of the country,” he said.
Democratic Action Party Socialist Youth (DAPSY) Sabah chairman, Vincent Fung said its New Year resolution for 2018 is to see improvements on basic infrastructures and facilities with more low cost and affordable housing for Tawau as the district is really in need for more low cost housing.
Fung said he also hopes to see the improved and increased electricity supply as the demand for electricity is high and there are still a lot of areas experiencing shortage of supply.
He said fresh water supply are also in high demand and this can be seen in the middle of every year when the drought season approaches.
“We always face this problem. The so called ‘water dam’ has still not materialize,” he pointed out.
He also hopes to see the living cost being addressed as the rising cost of living is burdening the people from all walks of life.
“The GST have not reduced prices as what was claimed by some ministers. The closing down of small business premises indicate that the people’s buying power are diminishing. Job openings in public and private sectors are also reduced and many undergraduate are still jobless,” he said.
Meanwhile, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Tawau branch secretary, Gan Chee Chan, said their resolution is to see the year 2018 bring more meaning to Sabah especially and Malaysian in general in terms of equal development and better economics.
“In 2017, various issues and scandals, such as the issue of hundreds of millions of water supply projects involving hundreds of millions, Felda issue, the effect of the 1MDB saga.
‘The hope of Sabah is the economic recovery as Sabah’s development is very important in view of the poor road infrastructure, despite the launch of Pan Borneo highway project, and clean water supply,” he said.
Gan reckoned that 2018 will be a challenging year as it is the year for the 14th general election and hoped that the people of Sabah will not be sidelined.
“Hopefully the people of Sabah people will always go forward and be on par with the others,” he said.