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KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan (pic) said the ‘Sabah for Sabahans’ sentiment is here to stay, rejecting Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s claim that it is divisive and counterproductive.

He said Zahid’s statement ignored historical facts and dismissed Sabahans’ constitutional rights and political dignity as an equal partner in the formation of Malaysia under the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

Jeffrey, also Star president and GRS vice-chairman, criticised the Federal Government’s long-standing treatment of Sabah, citing erosion of MA63 principles, exploitation of natural resources, demographic manipulation and continued economic neglect.

He added that Sabahans will no longer remain silent while Malayan political parties decide their fate, asserting the state’s right to determine its own future and direction.

“Our cooperation with Putrajaya must be based on mutual respect, not subservience – Sabah is not a colony and never will be,” he said in a statement on Monday.