YOURSAY | ‘This calls for strategic thinking. There must be a method if there’s going to be madness.’
Seat talks: Star unhappy, does not rule out withdrawing from PN
Fernz: Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) president Jeffrey Kitingan should abandon the party-hopping mindset and get his politics and relationships right, once and for all, before he runs out of time.
This calls for strategic thinking. There must be a method if there’s going to be madness.
Jeffrey should help get the parties from the peninsula out of Sabah. It’s a mortal sin to allow them to take Orang Asal (native) seats in Borneo.
Begging them for 15 to 18 seats for Star and 30 to 35 seats for Star/PBS combined provides no solution. The six seats being offered to Star is the supreme insult by the ‘thief who entered the ancestral home’.
The people have the right to choose, and choose freely. It’s not about winning or losing but getting a hearing on matters of public concern and interest. Principles matter. Man does not live by bread alone.
The reality is that the natives would be weak in opposition, even weaker in government.
The Orang Asal must form a “permanent” united, neutral and independent bloc in the legislature. They can support the government, if necessary, on a bill-to-bill basis subject to memorandums of understanding on matters of public concern and public interest.
Bobby0: Star should realise that at the moment they are being used by Umno-Bersatu to shore up their numbers in Parliament.
Through this election, Umno and Bersatu plan to build up the strength of their respective parties. It will put either one of them in a stronger bargaining position when they go into the 15th general election (GE15).
Why should they allow Star more seats? If Jeffrey cannot see that he is being used, then Star will end up like MIC and MCA - a mosquito party with no bargaining power.
This is really about a competition between Umno and Bersatu ahead of GE15. Star should have remained in Pakatan Harapan. They would have been given better respect and position.
Anonymous 5237: Interesting times indeed. When Pakatan Harapan lost power, it was a good slap for former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad who thought he could control the whole political scene.
He even had the cheek to propose himself as the ‘unity’ prime minister but without relying on any political party, meaning he does not want to be linked to Harapan at all.
But his dream soon crashed and he has been left fuming at Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in the last six months after the rug was pulled from under his feet.
Then another interesting development happened. Although the premier is from Bersatu and many Bersatu and former PKR MPs were appointed ministers, it is time to enjoy how the situation will unfold.
First, Bersatu got smacked during the Slim by-election as they are nobody in the eyes of Umno. Now, with the Sabah election, we can see once again how the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition parties fight one another to demand for more seats. Star walked out of the discussions.
The most interesting and much-awaited event will be GE15 when Malaysians will see how much bargaining power Bersatu has when facing big brother Umno.
We wait to see where PKR defectors Azmin Ali and Zuraida Kamaruddin will stand in the election. I won’t be surprised if they choose not to contest in Gombak and Ampang. Yes, let us see where Umno will allow them to stand.
So, do Malaysians see the politicians representing the people or just fighting for themselves?
Let us remind ourselves about the frequent water interruptions in Selangor, the lack of Internet service in Sabah, the 1MDB debts which we are paying, the movement control order (MCO) privilege for some politicians, et cetera.
KCAmpang: Sabah should emulate Sarawak to better safeguard its rights and its share of development. Vote in representatives who are from Sabah-based parties such as Warisan, PBS, Upko, PBRS, Star, SAPP, LDP, Berjaya, Usno and PCS.
Vote out all Peninsular-based parties which are agents of control from Malaya, who will not have the spine to fight for the rights and financial share to the development of Sabah. They are Umno, Bersatu, PAS, PKR, DAP, MCA, Gerakan, et cetera.
The new incoming Sabah government should join the federal government (regardless of which political alliance is in charge) as a Sabah representative instead of joining the federal government political alliance, as what Sarawak GPS is doing now.
GPS is fully autonomous, and the federal government is very responsive to Sarawak’s demands because the federal government badly needs GPS’ support.
Wong Fei Hoong: What’s all this with Sabah parties and Peninsular parties? Are we all not Malaysians who have the right to contest in any place we want? Why discriminate among ourselves?
Voting should be based on getting the best candidate and the party which has the heart for the nation and people, not frogs and self-serving parties. Let the people decide.
Skywood: Sabahans, especially the Kadazan-Dusun-Murut community, should not vote Star or PBS - the lapdogs of PN and BN which has PAS as a major partner. They don’t really understand the Christians in Sabah.
Business First: I totally agree with Skywood's comment. No sensible person who hopes for change for the better would vote for Star or even PBS in the Sabah state polls. Even if the two leave PN, it is only temporary and it is window-dressing for the sole purpose of fighting the state election.
After the election, if they win seats, they will just jump back into bed with PN/Umno/Bersatu and PAS. Frogs they are, frogs they will continue to be.
Complaining about Umno or Bersatu being arrogant and high-handed? Really? Who would have guessed! After all, they ran roughshod over you and did not even bother with chief minister rotations despite promises at the start to do so.
Note also the tepid response to PAS MP's disgraceful comments about the Bible being distorted. Yet these so-called defenders of the Kadasan-Dusun-Murut community, the non-Muslim bumiputeras are largely silent and still more than happy to be in government with PAS.
Are the rewards really that good and/or are you for sale for 30 pieces of silver? What about the people you claim to represent? I think reasonable people know the answer and hopefully, the ballot box will be loud and resounding.
Korkor: Based on his character and integrity, Jeffrey will quietly accept the crumbs of six to eight seats or at most 10 and then say it’s for harmony.
But at the end of the day, Star may only be able to win just two to three seats or even lose all. This is, after all, the king of frogs from East Malaysia.
Mafeeah: Jeffrey, why do you cry like a baby? Stop talking and whining. Just quit if you think that your big brothers from Semenanjung are bullying you. This has been taking place for far too long and you are a typical hypocrite.
You supported former chief minister Musa Aman, who is from Umno to form the new government. Why did you support Umno then?
Come on Jeffrey, your elder brother (Joseph Pairin) is so much more matured than you and can teach you politics. Learn from him!
Lamborghini: Yes, why whine like a spoiled brat, Jeffrey? You know them too well but you chose to betray Malaysians when you joined them to tip the balance and enabled the backdoor government to be formed.
Serves you right that they are now backstabbing you. You portrayed yourself as a hero to the Kadazan-Dusun-Murut community. Now you are a zero in the eyes of Sabahans and Malaysians. Be prepared to lose your seat.
Anonymous_4030: If Jeffrey quits PN, I think I would have lost count on how many times he has changed party/alliance over the decades.
Sabah Decides 2020: Making sense of the players, parties and battles
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