Kota Kinabalu: Political Secretary to the Sabah Chief Minister Ceasar Mandela Malakun believes Sabah and Sarawak are gaining stronger recognition as a political force in the country with the appointment of the country’s first Deputy Prime Minister from East Malaysia.
Ceasar, a Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) leader described the appointment of Gabungan Parti Sarawak’s (GPS) Datuk Sri Fadillah Yusof to the post by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, as a sign of the rise of the Borneo bloc in national politics.
Though it had to take ten prime ministers to get to this level, Mandela said it is a start to a new political era in the country.
“Anwar is the first Prime Minister in the country to give due recognition to East Malaysia. It’s a positive step in respecting Sabah and Sarawak, especially since both regions are partners in the federation of Malaysia. Both East Malaysian regions have actually come very far to this point,” he said in a statement, here, Sunday.
Mandela, who is also GRS Penampang Youth Chief, said despite many in the Sabah political circles expressing unhappiness with the lack of Sabah representation in Anwar’s cabinet, the people he suggested should see the larger picture.
“I think we should look at Fadillah’s appointment through the lens of the Borneo bloc. Therefore, it’s something that we all should be proud of.”
“It really means a lot to us that one among us in Borneo is now the Deputy Prime Minister. We could only dream of this under past Prime Ministers.
“But this is not the end. Rather, it’s a start of Borneo’s journey. I believe we can only look forward to positioning ourselves stronger as a bloc in national politics in the near future,” he added.
He reminded that political narratives surrounding the belief that Sabah and Sarawak can be kingmakers have now become stronger.
“Who knows, the time will come when Sabah and Sarawak will truly enjoy being equal partners as envisaged when we formed the federation in 1963. In politics, nothing is impossible.
“So, let’s never lose sight of the bigger prize. It’s not about posts in cabinet but about Borneo’s position in Malaysian politics,” said Mandela while congratulating Fadillah for his appointment.
