Kota Kinabalu: StarSabah is in solidarity with the Sarawak Government on the issue relating to the use of both English and Malay as official languages in the state.
“I believe Sabahans have no problem with this at all. Besides, we have always understood and valued the importance of English as a medium of communication with the outside world,” said Vice President Datuk Kenny Chua.
“Being multi-lingual has its advantages and I’m proud to say that the majority of Sabahans can speak at least three languages thanks to our respective ethnic identities,” he said, in a statement.
Last month, Deputy State Secretary (Development) Datuk Dr Ahemad Sade said Sabah would keep to its optional use of English in all its official correspondence until further notice.
Chua also said it is time for Sabah to be allocated more seats in Parliament.
“At least 35. There needs to be a balance of power between Sabah, Sarawak, and Peninsular Malaysia. I think only this way we can live up to true national unity and integration,” he said.
In the current Parliament, 166 (or 75%) of the 222 seats are in Peninsular Malaysia while the remaining 25%, or 56 seats, are in Sarawak (31) and Sabah (25).
“Ideally, Sabah needs at least 10 more,” he said. Aside from the size of the state and neighbour, Sarawak, in comparison with small states in Peninsular Malaysia, the importance of an increase of number of seats for the Borneo states concerns their influence over decisions in the Dewan Rakyat.
He also expressed concern over a PAS lawmaker’s remarks linking DAP party leaders to communists, describing such political attack as hitting below the belt.
He was referring to remarks made by Kepala Batas MP Siti Mastura Muhammad alleging that DAP leaders were related to communist leaders such as Chin Peng and late Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
It was also reported that Siti, when approached by reporters in Parliament to clarify further, said she would not “respond to things that are not factual.”
PAS MP Siti Mastura Muhammad alleged that former Democratic Action Party (DAP) leader Lim Kit Siang is a cousin of Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and former Malayan Communist Party leader Chin Peng.
A video of her speech has been widely shared on social media.
“Lim Kuan Yew, Lim Kit Siang, Chin Peng, cousins. Can you see the link?” Dr Siti asked her audience. “Lim Kuan Yew lives in Singapore today. What he did in Singapore, we see the model happening in Malaysia.”
Dr Siti referred to the late PM Lee as “Lim” Kuan Yew more than once in the video.
She also claimed that Lim Kit Siang’s son, former finance minister Lim Guan Eng, is related to other DAP leaders, including Anthony Loke, Teresa Kok, Nga Kor Ming and Mr Ngeh Koo Ham.
“What is most important is that there is no family relation with Chin Peng and Lee Kuan Yew,” he said. “Lee Kuan Yew has passed away, and is not alive like she mentioned,” said Guan Eng.
Lim added that their surnames are different and that any Malaysians who believe Dr Siti’s claims are simply “frogs in a well”.
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