Tackle Sabah's issues instead of bickering over seats, SAPP tells parties

The Star

27-05-2025

KOTA KINABALU: As political parties scramble for seats ahead of the Sabah state election, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) has called them out for seeming to ignore issues affecting the people.
The party said voters deserve to hear concrete plans on autonomy, land reforms, and Sabah's rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) – not just endless negotiations over who gets to contest where.
SAPP president Datuk Yong Teck Lee said many Sabahans, himself included, still have no idea what some political parties and leaders are fighting for.
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'So far, the politicians talk only about seats, seats and more seats. How about talking about the issues for the coming Sabah elections?
"Don't be like dogs chasing cars without any idea of what to do after catching up with the car," he reiterated in a statement on Tuesday (May 27).
Yong, who was Sabah chief minister from 1996 to 1998, asked if these parties were willing to take firm stands on issues in the state, such as issuing Sabah identity cards to bona fide Malaysian citizens and the demand for Labuan to be returned to Sabah.
He also highlighted the lack of political will to fight for the restoration of one-third of parliamentary seat representation to Sabah and Sarawak, saying this was fundamental to restoring balance within the federation.
He further criticised the silence of major political blocs, including those in Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional, on the 40% net revenue entitlement and the Territorial Sea Act 2012.
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'Which party will fearlessly champion that the 40% net revenue claim is RM2.6bil per annum?' he asked.
Yong also questioned the continued reliance on Peninsular Malaysian companies for infrastructure and services in Sabah.
'Is Sabah so incapable of making simple things like kiosks? What do we have KKIP (Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park) for?' he said.
He urged political leaders to stop treating Sabah as a battleground for seats and instead prove they are serious about reforms that matter to ordinary Sabahans.