LABUAN: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) secretary general Datuk Johnny Mositun said here yesterday that political stability and uninterrupted economic development were key factors in Sarawak’s enviable progress within Malaysia.
Responding to reporters after attending the Federal Territory Day celebration here in the company of Umno secretary general Tengku Datuk Adnan Mansor, former Federal Territory Minister Raja Nong Chik and Labuan member of parliament Datuk Rosman Isli, Mositun said Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, who will step down at the end of the month after 33 years as Chief Minister, would be remembered as the man who turned Sarawak into one of Malaysia’s wealthiest and progressive states.
Asked how he viewed statements from the prime minister and top Umno leaders that there was no need for Umno to expand to Sarawak, Mositun said it was because under Taib’s leadership Sarawak had proven its ability to handle its own affairs well and maintain correct and cordial relations with the federal government.
“The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, and his deputy, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, have unequivocally stated that Umno sees no need to expand to Sarawak because the state is united, progressive, politically stable and fully capable of handling its own affairs, thanks to Tan Sri Taib,” he said.
Mositun noted that Sarawak, despite its own unique identity and strong sense of autonomy, had integrated well with the rest of the country and was deeply involved in mainstream of Malaysia’s politics, administration and economy.
He said it would be good for Sabah if more Sabahans would adopt a similar philosophy and attitude and involve themselves more in the national mainstream, particularly at the decision-making level of national administration.
He said under the leadership of Najib, more and more Sabahans were being appointed to senior posts in critical areas of government such as the recent appointment of Datuk Mohd Mentek to head ESScom as its director.
“In this context, it is my hope that the present director of the Customs and Excise Department in Sabah, will be considered for promotion to the post of deputy director general. It is my understanding that the department is looking for a suitable officer to succeed the outgoing deputy director general,” he said.