Kota Kinabalu: Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan cum Deputy Chairman of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) defended his recent remarks against peninsula-based parties, saying he was merely voicing the sentiments of the people in Sabah.
“I’m just expressing the sentiment of the people. Everyone knows this has been the problem and we need to resolve it,” he said.
“It’s very simple. We take care of our homes, that’s all. But how can we look after ourselves if we can’t express our concerns?”
Dr Jeffrey questioned why the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) has yet to be fully implemented, believing certain parties of pursuing their own agendas at the expense of Sabah and Sarawak.
“Why is the Malaysia Agreement 1963 not fully implemented until today? What is the answer? We want it.
“Those on the other side are not doing it,” he said.
“Why? Because they want to control us, to exploit us. It’s as simple as that. We have our agenda, and they have theirs,” said the Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (StarSabah) President, after the opening of the Conference on Protecting Semporna’s Marine Environment: Plastic Pollution and Fish Bombing at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC), Tuesday.
Dr Jeffrey was criticised by a Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leader who labelled his speech at the recent GRS Youth Movement launch as “insensitive” for branding Malaya-based parties as “traitors and colonisers”.
“Why do we allow them to bring their parties here and govern us? It’s a proxy to colonialism when we are supposed to be independent. The rakyat wants to manage themselves,” argued Dr Jeffrey.
The Pakatan Harapan coalition that shares power with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) includes PKR, DAP and Amanah at state level and Umno at federal level.
Jeffrey had argued that notwithstanding the fact that Sabah and Sarawak were denied one-third representation in parliament to reflect the MA63 one third representation as equal partners upon Singapore’s exit in 1965, peninsula parties were now staking claims on parliament seats in both states that weakened the Borneo states’ representation even more.
