KOTA KINABALU: DAP leaders who have left the party should re-align and re-focus their political aim towards assisting in the fight for the restoration of Sabah rights, said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan.
The STAR Sabah chief said Sabahans should no longer rely on parties and leaders from the Peninsula to champion the cause for Sabah.
Their priorities are not Sabah’s priorities and their agenda to gain power in Putrajaya does not necessarily entail Sabah’s agenda. In fact, some of their priorities and agenda appear to conflict with those of Sabah’s,” he said.
Jeffrey contended that the federation of Malaysia is not a standardized and homogeneous federal-state relationship for the 11 States in the Peninsula and for Sabah and Sarawak. This is because Sabah and Sarawak are equal to Malaya not the states in Malaya.
“It’s a 2-tier federation, the lower tier being the federation of Malaya with 11 States and the higher tier between Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak.
“As a result, a simplified two-party system will extinguish the rights and autonomy of Sabah, leaving Sabah and Sarawak as the 12th and 13th States forever,” he asserted.
At the moment, he said, the Chinese community in Sabah are more focused on their businesses and career interests and are not strong advocates or supporters of Sabah’s rights and autonomy.
He said the Chinese community needs to re-assess the situation and think about the future of their children and grandchildren in Sabah.
“They should not adopt the view that they can send their children overseas and then encourage them not to return home.
“Sabah is their homeland that their ancestors, grandparents and parents have helped build. They need to stand united with the other communities to seek the restoration of Sabah as an equal partner in Malaysia equal to Malaya and Sarawak. They need to help fight for the return of Sabah’s oil and gas resources,” he said.