Sabahan DPM ‘not impossible’
KOTA KINABALU: It is not impossible for a Sabahan to be appointed Deputy Prime Minister of the country, opined Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan.
“If we (Sabahan members of parliament) are strong enough in Parliament and we get some support from Peninsular Malaysia, the notion of having a Deputy Prime Minister from Sabah is not impossible,” he said.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Catholic church leaders from Sepanggar here yesterday, Abdul Rahman however pointed out that Sabah BN leaders need the support of their comrades in Peninsular Malaysia for the idea to become a reality.
“But on our own, I do not think we are able to garner the numbers. We need to convince our peers from Peninsular Malaysia that we are as good as them to become the leader of this country.
“And in order to do that we need to work harder, as hard as they do, as smart as they are and we will tell them that if you choose a Sabahan as a Deputy Prime Minister, (or ) for the fact Prime Minister, we can also run this country equally effectively like everyone else,” he opined.
The Kota Belud member of parliament said this when asked if it is high time that a Sabahan is appointed Deputy Prime Minister as the state has more representation in the federal cabinet.
To a question on how it would be possible to get more participation of Sabahans in the policy making process at the federal level, Abdul Rahman said that it is through the election process.
“Election is a process of choosing the government and we cannot be too emotional about it. If we are we will pawn certain interests as we will only be voting for self interest,” he said.
According to the Barisan Nasional (BN) strategic communications director, Sabah needs to be strategic about this and make sure that Sabah BN has strong representation at the federal level.
“Sabah must work hard to be the backbone of BN and that means we have to vote for a party that can be very vocal at the federal level. The stronger we are, the louder our voices will be, that is the norm of politics.
“If we are the backbone, we may be the ones to give more suggestions and opinions which will be heeded by the leadership. That is our motive as we head into the 14th general election.
“Sabah should vote for the right person, the right party and cannot spoil their votes by voting other parties. Send a very strong signal to Putrajaya that BN Sabah is going to be the strongest backbone for the federal government. Then we will have more say and the top leadership will pay closer attention to us,” he said.
He added, “for example, if you vote for Warisan, the party is going nowhere. So don’t waste your vote and choose the party that can bring you ahead.”