KOTA KINABALU: Former Chief Minister Yong Teck Lee is taking on Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in an argument about whether Sabah is better off or worse off since Kuala Lumpur took control of the state’s politics.
Yong, president of the Sabah Progressive Party, said Sabah became one of the poorest states in the country under the rule of Kuala Lumpur.
He said people in Sabah, which was one of the richest in the region, lived in harmony without racial or religious conflicts before Malaysia was formed in 1963.
“Now, apart from being the poorest state, Sabah is riddled with imported racism and religious suspicions,” he said in a statement yesterday in response to Muhyiddin’s claim that Sabah became economically and politically strong under Barisan Nasional Rule.
Muhyiddin made the remark on Wednesday at an Umno-sponsored meet-the-people session in Libaran.
“I read in the news about Yong comparing us (Kuala Lumpur leaders) with British colonial masters,” he said.
“He is out of date and out of touch. There is rapid development in Sabah and its administration is well run.”
In challenging Muhyiddin’s statement, Yong gave examples of how Sabah was ruled by Kuala Lumpur.
He said even the Sabah Head of State had to be advised by the head of the Barisan Nasional in Kuala Lumpur before swearing in the Chief Minister.
“Things got worse when even candidates for Parliament and the State Assembly had to be endorsed by Kuala Lumpur,” he added.
“Hence our political leaders have become subservient to Kuala Lumpur.
“In reality, Sabah has lost whatever autonomy that our founding fathers expected in 1963,” Yong said in reference to the Malaysia Agreement of 1963 between Britain and Malaysia .
As such, he said, it was not wrong to say that political control of Sabah had shifted from the colonial capital of London to the colonial capital of Kuala Lumpur and, now, Putrajaya.
Yong said all local heads of department had to refer most matters to their Putrajaya head offices for decisions.
“A good example is that the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak cannot even employ a clerk without Putrajaya’s assent.”
On the issue of the Borneonisation of the public service as agreed under the 20-point Malaysia Agreement, Yong said it was sad that after 46 years of Malaysia , out of the 81 federal department and 39 agencies, only 38 per cent were headed by Sabahans.
Yong, president of the Sabah Progressive Party, said Sabah became one of the poorest states in the country under the rule of Kuala Lumpur.
He said people in Sabah, which was one of the richest in the region, lived in harmony without racial or religious conflicts before Malaysia was formed in 1963.
“Now, apart from being the poorest state, Sabah is riddled with imported racism and religious suspicions,” he said in a statement yesterday in response to Muhyiddin’s claim that Sabah became economically and politically strong under Barisan Nasional Rule.
Muhyiddin made the remark on Wednesday at an Umno-sponsored meet-the-people session in Libaran.
“I read in the news about Yong comparing us (Kuala Lumpur leaders) with British colonial masters,” he said.
“He is out of date and out of touch. There is rapid development in Sabah and its administration is well run.”
In challenging Muhyiddin’s statement, Yong gave examples of how Sabah was ruled by Kuala Lumpur.
He said even the Sabah Head of State had to be advised by the head of the Barisan Nasional in Kuala Lumpur before swearing in the Chief Minister.
“Things got worse when even candidates for Parliament and the State Assembly had to be endorsed by Kuala Lumpur,” he added.
“Hence our political leaders have become subservient to Kuala Lumpur.
“In reality, Sabah has lost whatever autonomy that our founding fathers expected in 1963,” Yong said in reference to the Malaysia Agreement of 1963 between Britain and Malaysia .
As such, he said, it was not wrong to say that political control of Sabah had shifted from the colonial capital of London to the colonial capital of Kuala Lumpur and, now, Putrajaya.
Yong said all local heads of department had to refer most matters to their Putrajaya head offices for decisions.
“A good example is that the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak cannot even employ a clerk without Putrajaya’s assent.”
On the issue of the Borneonisation of the public service as agreed under the 20-point Malaysia Agreement, Yong said it was sad that after 46 years of Malaysia , out of the 81 federal department and 39 agencies, only 38 per cent were headed by Sabahans.
04/12/09
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