Pledges by BN leaders just ‘gulagula’ — Warisan

KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) has cautioned that pledges made by the Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders must be taken with a pinch of salt as these are just ‘gula gula’ (sweets) to hoodwink Sabahans ahead of the coming elections (GE14).

Warisan vice president Junz Wong reckoned that there would be lots more promises in the days ahead as GE14 gets closer but the people would be wiser to such cheap talk.

“I would like to ask (Prime Minister Datuk Seri) Najib Razak why he is not willing to proceed with the approval of the 13 new seats in Sabah (in Parliament) when the State Assembly has already passed it in 2016 and has already been gazetted,” said Junz in a statement yesterday.

“If such a simple thing as getting the new seats approved in parliament cannot be done, what is Najib talking about giving back Sabah rights? Fulfil this (new seats) right of the Sabah people first,” said the Likas assemblyman.

Junz said as far as Warisan is concerned, its stand is that once the current State Assembly is dissolved, then there are 73 seats to be contested, and not 60 as previously (GE13).

“Do not cause a constitutional crisis to arise in Sabah all because the State BN suddenly has cold feet and do not want to face contests in the new seats, knowing they will do dismally,” said Junz.

He said he was given to understand that while PBS, PBRS and Upko were all in favour of wanting the additional seats, it was Sabah Umno that was curiously no longer keen.

He said he tried to raise the issue at the last State Legislative Assembly sitting but his efforts were disallowed by the Speaker.

“BN Sabah and Musa now have two options; go back to the Sabah Assembly to cancel the 13 new seats or force the Prime Minister and the Parliament Speaker to table it in parliament before the current sitting ends,” added Junz.

He said that after pushing the Bill for the new seats in Sabah, not proceeding with it is a total insult and disrespectful to the Sabah people.

“All the Sabah BN leaders should resign for their role in this big tragedy,” he added.