Melaka CM supported Demos

Melaka CM can be made to pay 'sogit'
MENGGATAL: Sepanggar MP Datuk Eric Majimbun said Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam ought to pay ¡®sogit¡¯ (compensation) to the people of Sabah for backing a demonstration staged by Umno members in Tawau on Tuesday.

¡°As a Chief Minister and Umno vice president, it is very sad and regrettable for him to come here to support the demonstration which is not our (Sabahans) culture.

¡°Don¡¯t come here (Sabah) to disturb our harmony,¡± said Eric when met after paying his last respects to a relative who passed away in Menggatal yesterday.

As a former native chief, Eric wants to see the prevailing harmony enjoyed by the people in Sabah continue to be preserved without any disturbances.

¡°If I am still attached to the Native Court, surely he (Ali Rustam) will be asked to pay ¡®sogit¡¯ to the Sabah people for making such a deplorable statement,¡± he added.

Demonstrations are not part of the Sabah culture, he stressed.

Eric who is also the deputy president of Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) stressed that there is no need for Ali Rustam to tell SAPP what to do.

¡°We know what we are doing¡­it is for the sake of the people in Sabah,¡± he said in commenting to the statement by Ali Rustam carried by a local newspaper on Thursday.

Ali Rustam said SAPP should leave Barisan Nasional if they want to go ahead with their decision to back a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in Parliament.

The Melaka Chief Minister also supported the demonstration staged by Umno members against the SAPP motion.

Meanwhile, Eric welcomed the announcement made by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak that the government will launch massive operation to flush out illegal immigrants in Sabah.

¡°I hope this is not just merely an announcement to pacify the people, it must be followed by serious action to resolve the perennial problem,¡± he said.

The announcement is actually long overdue, however, it did not mention how the operation will work whether it is one-go or to be carried continuously. Nevertheless, we should be grateful when the illegal immigrant problem is solved, he said.

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Sabah