No united front on Sabah rights issue
Published on: Tuesday, February 07, 2017
Kota Kinabalu: By Leonard AlazaThe State did not portray a united front in dealing with Kuala Lumpur on matters pertaining to Sabah rights, Sabah Rights Review Committee (SRRC) Chairman Datuk Teo Chee Kang said.He said this was due to Sabah-based opposition parties' boycott of the public hearing recently.
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"It's a disappointment to observe that some local opposition parties chose to boycott the public hearing that my committee organised to collect views and input in this noble cause for Sabahans. "By doing so we have not portrayed a very united front as we deal and sit down to discuss with KL to pinpoint what are the things that have to be given to us," he said during a breakfast with the press organised by Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Monday.Teo, who is also the party president, said politicians should shed their political differences and stand on common ground on the matter."I think we can stand together in this common struggle regardless of political ideologies and where we stand in the political divide," he said, vowing that LDP will continue to fight for Sabah rights as enshrined in the Malaysia Agreement and the Federal Constitution.
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"We will always stand firm to ensure that whatever rights due to the State will be given back to the State," he added.The United Sabah Alliance (USA), which comprises Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR), Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) and Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah, decided to boycott the SRRC hearing end of last month, citing the state government having disallowed their motion to discuss Sabah rights in the State Assembly last in November.
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The coalition said it was a grave self-contradiction for the government to disallow the motion by elected assemblymen to discuss Sabah rights in the state legislative assembly, but saw fit to invite opposition parties to the hearing outside the Assembly.Teo responded by saying it was the State Assembly that rejected the motion on Sabah Rights, not the State Government.On another matter, the Special Tasks Minister said the conventional media had a crucial role to play in verifying information and reporting the truth to prevent the public from being misled by false information often circulated in the cyber world."Some people only rely on information from social media, especially the younger generation who seldom read the newspapers or see television. But the social media information may not be reliable. I've always said that no matter how advanced social media is, conventional media will always be relevant for it has an important role to play in telling the truth," he said. Earlier in his speech, LDP Youth Chief Tsang Hieng Yee cited few cases involving social media abuse including the recent concocted video of a lion dance troupe's refusal to perform for the Prime Minister at the Party Gerakan's Chinese New Year Open House.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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