Speaking up for Sabah, says Yong

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) President Datuk Yong Teck Lee said he and the party should not be misconstrued as threatening or giving an ultimatum to the Federal Government when pressing for an immediate solution to Sabah's long-term problems.

The former Chief Minister said the party was just doing its job and "making use of the little window of opportunity, which is getting smaller by the day.

"No, we just want to make it clear to them. No point puji puji (praising), praise them, sokong penuh (full support), kiss the hand, angkat kaki (praising)Éthat is not the real issues that the people should convey through the component parties, through MPs, to the national leadership," he said.

"We are making the message very clear and we don't think this can wait forever. I believe by September we will be forgotten again. So in this little window of opportunity we should press it very clearly and loudly," he said.

"We do not want to be misunderstood, as if kita main main saja (we are just joking) or main threatening (like to threaten). Although some people, like the media interpreted it as threat or ultimatum, we have to do our job."

Yong was speaking to reporters after opening the State-level SAPP Pesta Kaamatan at Kionsom Waterfall in Ulu Kionsom, Inanam, Saturday.

He was asked to elaborate his statement on May 14 where he said the SAPP would give the Barisan Nasional until August to resolve the various issues affecting Sabah. Yong had also said there was no guarantee SAPP would remain in the ruling coalition if these were not addressed by then.

Yong cited the issue of illegal immigrants which, he said, was actually the basic duty of a government and "should not even be a term or syarat (condition).

"It is the basic duty of every government in the world to provide security, law and order to protect the country from a large number of illegal immigrants. And this (illegals) is an old problem which the Government has the ability to solveÉbut it (Government) is not solving after so many years."

SAPP had submitted a memorandum, giving a formula, proposal and ideas, he added. "So this is not something that should wait any longer," he said.

On Regional Development Deputy Minister and Pensiangan MP Tan Sri Joseph Kurup asking for the Prime Minister to be given more time, Yong said these problems were not something new.

Yong said the issue related to the sales tax from petroleum in Sabah and Sarawak and on cooking oil subsidy also needed immediate attention and solution.

"The State Government is losing on a regular basis of about RM200 million a year. It is a long process and an unnecessarily hurdle put on our State Government to recover this RM200m."

He was referring to the import tax and excise on petroleum products in Sabah and Sarawak where the two states sustained losses amounting to RM200m a year due to the amendment made by Parliament on the Sales Act 1972 in 1999.

Sepanggar MP Datuk Eric Majimbun, who is also SAPP Deputy President, had recently proposed in Parliament that the Federal Treasury make revenue compensation payment to Sabah under Part V of the 10th Schedule, Federal Constitution (Supplementary Income Resources of the Borneo States) in accordance with the law.

"Also the cooking oil subsidy which our oil palm planters are paying tens of millions per month. Right now it is already RM600-RM700 million from Sabah. So should we wait and allow our people to lose more?" Yong asked.

As for the proposed 20 per cent petroleum royalty whereby according to the report in Parliament, the country's oil reserves will dry out in 2014, Yong said:

"Are we going to wait until 2014 and then get our extra royalty? If you wait for another six years or more, there will be no more petroleum and no royalty."

Yong said Sabah MPs had spoken along the same line of thinking and in the same frequency." "As for Kurup, he only talked about giving the PM more time," he said, adding that Kurup was the only one who expressed some deviation, while Datuk Shafie Apdal (Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister) only addressed the issue of crossover.

"As far as the issues raised by the MPs for Kimanis, Sepanggar, Tawau, Kalabakan and even those from UpkoÉall are in the same frequency.

"The only variation was Shafie denying the crossover and Kurup saying give more timeÉ(anyway) Kurup did not rebut the substantive matters brought up by the Sabah MPs," he said.

On Keningau MP Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, he said he (Pairin) basically confirmed what the other MPs were saying. "I don't think any ministers from Sabah at the Federal level rebutted or denied what the Sabah MPs were saying.

"Only that they are saying give more time and in this case we have to consider they are in a dilemma being in the Government. Itu durang punya tau lah (that's their problem) but that should not prevent our MPs from speaking out," he said.

Earlier, in his speech Yong expressed the party's support for MPs from Sabah who had been raising and pressing for a solution to the above-mentioned and other prolonging unsolved issues related to the State.

Eric, who is also SAPP State-level Pesta Kaamatan Organising Committee Chairman, SAPP Deputy President and Likas Assemblyman Datuk Liew Teck Chan, Tawau MP Datuk Chua Soon Bui, SAPP Secretary-General Datuk Richard Yong and other SAPP leaders were also present.