Kota Kinabalu: SAPP Vice President, Johor-born Gee Tien Siong, believes Sabah’s unique culture and history require governance by local parties to better protect its autonomy and interests.
He said peninsula parties expanding into Sabah represent a disguised form of proxy colonial rule. When these parties control the Sabah Legislative Assembly and parliamentary seats, Sabah loses its autonomy.
To defend Sabah’s rights, Gee chooses to serve Sabah’s local parties. He believes only local parties can truly understand and meet the needs of the Sabah people.
He urges native-born Sabahans to have confidence in and support local parties to achieve greater autonomy (or strengthen self-governance), while resisting the continued erosion by external forces.
Gee echoes the call of Datuk Jeffrey Kitingan, Sabah Deputy Chief Minister, urging the Federal government to return Sabah’s rights under the 1963 Malaysia Agreement (MA63).
He views the Federal government’s refusal to fulfil MA63 as tantamount to colonising Sabah and Sarawak.
He urges the Federal government to stop delaying and immediately return the rights Sabah deserves under MA63, including 40pc tax revenue, oil and gas royalties, and regain 35pc of the seats in the Parliament.
Gee also called on those who came to Sabah and settled permanently to uphold the spirit of integration and respect Sabah’s culture and customs.
He is confident that through preventing Sabah from being eroded by external forces, it can ensure that this blessed land shares the country’s resources more fairly and truly become one of the three founding partners of the nation.
