Wednesday, 26 July 2017
Don’t risk a Sabah-style ‘Brexit’, says Zahid
PAPAR, July 22 ― Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi reminded Umno members and the people of Sabah not to be influenced by an attempt by outsiders to “Brexit” Sabah from Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN).
Ahmad Zahid said the action of these outsiders, including former state and national Umno leaders, is wrong and could have a negative impact on the people and the state of Sabah.
“If there are people from outside or those who used to be in BN, who tried to get the Sabahans out of the Umno and BN ring, they are wrong,” he said when opening the Umno Zone Three delegates conference at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bongawan near here today.
Also present were Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman; Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, who is also Kimani Umno chief; Papar Umno chief Datuk Abdul Rahim Ismail and Beaufort Umno chief Datuk Isnin Aliasni.
Brexit is an abbreviation for “British exit”, referring to the United Kingdom’s decision in a June 23, 2016 referendum to leave the European Union (EU).
Ahmad Zahid said some of the Brexit voters had regretted their move because the results were not as good as they had hoped for.
“Sabah does not want to be Malaysia’s ‘Brexit’. Sabah does not want BN and Umno to lose. Not the leaders who have to deal with the consequences but the people,” he said.
If Sabah leaves Umno and BN, the risk is too high as what some previous state governments had faced when they set up governments that were not in line with the federal government, he said.
Hence, he said the current political situation in Sabah, in which there is a power-sharing among BN component parties, should be continued for political stability, even though the state legislative assembly seats would later be increased from 60 to 73.
“I hope our friends in BN will not put pressure on the chief minister. We hope that our friends in BN will negotiate accordingly. The important thing is not the allocation of seats but that Umno and BN can rule comfortably in Sabah,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid is confident that the Umno-led BN government would be maintained despite the additional state seats because a study by the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) in 2016 revealed that 76 per cent of Sabahans still wanted BN to continue the agenda to develop Sabah.
In fact, he said the research also showed that 71.2 per cent of the Sabahans had regarded that BN had successfully transformed Sabah which proved that they still wanted Umno and BN to govern Sabah.
He also reminded Umno members and the people in Sabah to learn from the Tanduo incident in Lahad Datu and the militant attacks in Marawi, southern Philippines, to prevent such incidents from happening again.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Home Minister, said he would strengthen the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) to ensure that the safety and stability of Sabah were preserved.
Source: Bernama
Tuesday, 4 July 2017
If given the choice of being a Sarawakian or a Malayan? I'll choose Sarawakian
I am a Semenanjung newcomer in Sarawak, and I fully support this page's (Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia Facebook Page) effort to shield Sarawak from the negativity of Semenanjung.
Yes, liberalism in religion is prohibited. And so is extremism.
Many Sarawak Malay Muslims don't mind if the Non-Muslims, or Muslims rule their country, why? They trust each other, they uphold unity of Sarawak more than their own religion and race. Sarawak first, then whatever race or religion you are.
I have friends from the Sarawakian Malay community, Sabahan Catholic, Orang Ulu Evangelists....and they are respecting each other. The non-Muslims even apologized to me for eating or drinking in front of me, eventhough I said to them, "no, I don't mind it".
The Christians used Allah in their Bible? I asked carefully to my Christian friend why. And I get the answers. And I understand the decades of mixing between Muslims and Non-Muslims. And the Sarawakian Malay Muslims know the difference between the Islamic Allah, and the Christian "Allah".
No racists and ultra-religious nuts here. People are open-minded, even the Muslims here.
And it's total opposite of the culture I have been taught and raised in Semenanjung.
If the independence of Sarawak is because wanting to shield the racism, ultra religious, division and corruption from infecting this fair land, let it be.
The liberalism practised here is tolerance and knowing and respecting other religions, not clamming in your own race and religious shell, just like in Semenanjung.
Mosque and church side by side? No problem here, but a major issue in Semenanjung.
Go to a Christian or Buddhist marriage? No problem here, labeled as heretic and "murtad" in Semenanjung.
If given the choice of being a Sarawakian or a Malayan? I'll choose Sarawakian. No point living with my brethrens who does not know anything about things beyond the South China Sea.
And I base all of this from my experience, living both in Sarawak and a native Semenanjung.
Peace out.
Source: Muhammad Irfan Daniel