DAP can dream on, says STAR
KOTA KINABALU: DAP is told that they have no chance of getting any political lifeline by trying to fan anti-government sentiment among Sabahans.
Parti Solidariti Tanahairku (SabahStar) vice president Kenny Chua said whatever the DAP say about injustice to Sabah and its people they will remember what the party did to them instead.
“Guan Eng comes here and tells us how unfairly we’ve been treated by the Perikatan Nasional and Barisan Nasional.
“Who does he think we Sabahans are? Are we merely some oxygen they desperately need to keep the DAP breathing and remain relevant in the political landscape of the country?
“If he thinks that Sabah is a good place to plant hate politics to get people on the DAP’s side, he is mistaken big time,” he said.
Chua was responding to Guan Eng’s accusation that Sabah was being treated worse under the PN and BN as the state received only 6.9 per cent of the development expenditure in the 2022 Budget, compared to 9.3 per cent under Pakatan Harapan.
Chua said Sabahans will never forget the time two years ago when Guan Eng, then the Finance Minister in the Pakatan Harapan government, delivered the bad news to Sabahans and Sarawakians that the promise to give 20 per cent instead of the current five per cent in oil royalties to the two states could not be fulfilled yet.
This was the PH’s promise to people of both states in the 2018 general election that included a return of half of all tax receipts collected.
“For so long, Sabahans and Sarawakians believe they have been cheated out of our own natural resources. But to see a promise broken just like that made us feel that we’ve been cheated twice.
“So, how could Guan Eng talk about injustice when he and the PH had also treated Sabahans and Sarawakians the same?” he asked.
He said what Guan Eng may have failed to realise was that he and the PH government had dashed the hopes of Sabahans most of whom believed that the promise of the oil royalties and return of tax revenues could help Sabah rise above poverty.
“He reiterated that Sabah is a poor state. Then why did the DAP and the rest of the PH government then didn’t keep the promise. And why now especially a very humiliating defeat in the Melaka state election he comes to tell us that we’re worse under the PN and BN?” he asked.
He said Sabahans will never forget that instead of fulfilling its promises to the people, the DAP Finance Minister imposed new taxes on Malaysians such as the Departure Tax, Digital Tax, Sales and Service Tax, among others.
“If he is saying that Sabah is better under the DAP and the rest of the PH gang than PN and BN, then he must be daydreaming.
“If Guan Eng claims they are a better choice, then please explain to us Sabahans why the miserable and humiliating defeat in Melaka recently. And now, he expects us to listen to all his accusations and allegations against the government.
“Does he think anyone would straight away support the DAP and PH by claiming that the government isn’t fair? Dream on. We’ve better things to do,” said Chua.