The end days of PKR in Sabah?

Posted on October 25, 2009

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many-colours-11The Majlis Pimpinan Pusat PKR met today.

On the agenda, amongst others, was the re-constitution of the PKR Sabah state leadership.

Azmin’s out.

The PKR division chiefs have made it clear that he’s not wanted.

Have these division chiefs made it clear, then, who their choice is to lead Sabah PKR to face BN at the 13th General Elections?

If there were doubts until today, the fax received at PKR HQ this morning should have put those doubts to rest.

In a fax message addressed to PKR president Wan Azizah, 14 Sabah PKR division chiefs put their signatures to this message, naming just one man as their choice to lead PKR Sabah.

Keningau division chief, Datuk Dr. Jeffery Kitingan, is the choice of the strongest PKR divisions in Sabah.

My source who was at the meeting at Merchant Square today said Anwar made it clear at the meeting that he was not going to have any of this.

“No way in hell will I have Jeffrey as chief”, Anwar is reported to have blasted.

Anwar, it seems, is determined to see a Muslim lead PKR in Sabah because, it is said, he insists that Muslims make up the majority in Sabah.

That may be so, if we take into account the millions of illegal Muslim immigrants granted citizenship during Anwar’s days as DPM to Dr M.

Surely Anwar must know this. His hands are as tainted as that of Dr. M’s with the dilution of the political strength of the indigenous people of Sabah by the influx of Muslim immigrants who were later given citizenship in return for enforced allegiance to BN at the ballot box.

Even if it is true that Muslims now are the majority in Sabah, have we not gone beyond communalist, race-based and religion-orientated politics to that of meritocracy?

Is that not what PKR and Pakatan are supposedly championing?

The decision on the new Sabah PKR state leadership would suggest otherwise, at least as far as PKR is concerned.

I am told that the party leadership will announce that the man given the task to lead PKR in Sabah is Libaran division chief and Sabah PKR state secretary, Ahmad Thamrin Hj Zaini.

My source in Sabah tells me that Thamrin is an Anwar loyalist and his appointment will not go down well with the division chiefs and the PKR grassroots in Sabah.

Worse, I’m told that this man is a race and religious bigot.

Speaking to a division chief who is Muslim but is supportive of Jeffrey as PKR state chief, Thamrin is said to have asked of that division chief, “Kamu sudah masuk ugama Kristian, ke?”.

Malaysiakini reports today that Sabah Peoples Progressive Party (SAPP) has rejected overtures to get them to join the anticipated formalised and registered Pakatan Rakyat coalition, if it ever materialises.

Yong Teck Lee, SAPP president, gave as reasons for this, that SAPP sees little difference between BN and the proposed opposition alliance and noted that “Pakatan in Sabah still took orders from Kuala Lumpur and this apparently made it impossible for Sapp to be a member of the opposition alliance”.

“We have no intention whatsoever of joining Pakatan Rakyat. It will be against our struggle to win back the autonomy of Sabah and prevent the federal government from continuing to interfere in Sabah affairs”, Yong said.

All of this leads to three questions and one message for Anwar.

First, how the *#@* did you ever dream of taking the federal government last September 16th, apparently counting on the support of Sabah and Sarawak when, it would seem, you haven’t a clue of how to win the hearts and minds of their locals, leaders or otherwise?

Second, is your ‘Ketuanan Rakyat’ any less sloganeering than Najib’s ‘1Malaysia’? Is it from the heart or just skin deep?

Third, are you truly the changed man from your UMNO days, or are you now a closet Malay nationalist, because you see it as politically expedient?

The message.

I want to repeat here something I had said in my letter to Anwar on 18th August last year.

“On Black 14, I heard you use the phrase ‘Ketuanan Rakyat’ for the first time.

Do not waver from this.

End race politics.

End the politicisation of Islam.

You must be brave enough to tell the Malays that this country belongs to all the anak-anak Bangsa Malaysia, to remind the Malays again and again that UMNO’s ketuanan Melayu is unIslamic and has been their evil tool to enrich themselves and divide this nation.

Do this, and be assured of the strongest support from the majority of anak-anak Bangsa Malaysia who, by far and large, are decent people.

…A final reminder.

The rakyat today are not like that of 16 years ago.

We understand national issues better, we are better informed, and we have a greater sense of commitment to the ideals of justice and equality.

And we have a newly found self-belief to pursue these ideals and to pursue change.

Understand and remember that we are no longer afraid.

We fully understand today that governance of this nation was intended to be in the hands of the people, and that when you and your party leaders offer to govern, it is with a view to serve us.

Therefore, understand and remember that it is we, the rakyat, who govern through those who have taken oath to serve us.

It is only by abiding by that oath that you might honourably be called a leader of men.

Any less and you would have proven yourself to be no better than those whom you now endeavour to displace”.


Posted in: Right to know