The President of one of the leading political parties in Sabah recently called for all Sabahans to unite in their efforts to resolve long standing issues affecting the rakyat in the state.
Sabahans to unite?
How to unite when voters are spoilt for choice come election day?
There is only 1.8 million registered voters in the state which has 3.5 million people.
And there are 24 political parties claiming to represent Sabahans.
Politicians formed so many political parties with many of them of them generally repeating the same message.
Decades of neglect have left Sabahans with water shortages, frequent power cuts and some of the lowest wages in the country and the widening wealth gap between states in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah.
Under the Malaysia Agreement of 1963, signed more than 60 years ago, Sabah reportedly ceded 60% of its annual revenue to the federal government in exchange for autonomy over its borders, religion, culture and development.
Its population of 3.5 million has Malaysia’s highest poverty rate at 17.7%.
On paper, it is a contest for 73 seats that will shape the next 5 years of governance in a state rich in resources, yet perennially poor in equitable progress.
Politics in Sabah is a ritual of ambition and betrayal.
Whispers of betrayal and the ever-present lure of power amongst the politicians and the wannabes are no strangers to Sabahans.
Envy and jealousies are common not only between rival parties but also within each party.
Power means the gates to new riches would be open for them.
Post election, whispers of betrayal will come round again even amongst those who managed to scrap through on election day.
Then cracks will appear.
With each passing day, the cracks would widen into chasms with the winners trying their best to charm and lure those not in the same camp with them to their party while those whose party are not on the winning side, quickly changing their allegiance to those who can provide for them.
Politicians and officials there and elsewhere in Malaysia, lie for a living, not as a moral failure but as an occupational reflex.
Sabahans may want to never forget that the politcians lie, lie and they lie.
Those who offered themselves going into the elections will claim they represent a new morality in government if they are voted in.
They will try their very best to convince Sabahans that they are no crooks or liars even though Sabahans knew that it is otherwise.
Already at this stage, after the nomination, Sabahans and the rest of Malaysia already witnessed candidates trade falsehoods and allegations of dishonesty on a daily basis.
Each candidate and the political parties they represent spend a lot of effort justifying and rationalizing what they are doing or simply put justified dishonesty to all Sabahans.
They continuously proclaimed that despite the state having vast natural resources, they continued to remain poor because the Federal government deprived them of their fair share of the state’s resources.
When, in fact, politicians in the state and their cronies possessed many privileges that the average Sabahan did not possess.
Large nice bungalows, large and marquee brands of vehicles, vacations in countries in the western hemisphere two or 3 times a year, wears up todate and branded fashionwear bringing their Hermes handbags and Richard Mille watches.
In fact, it is mind boogling to know that Sabahans have been living and surviving on these lies year in year out for the last 50 years or so.
Yes, in short, Sabah has been and will continue to be plagued by lies and the immoral corruption amongst the politicians and their cronies.
Sabahans is tired of hearing the politicians calling for them to unite.
Instead, Sabahans are tasking the politicians that if they are really sincere in trying to lift Sabahans, all the politicians should disband their respective parties and merge together in this coming election.
If they do that, all Sabahans will unite and vote for this one single large party.
The politicians need to show all Sabahans that they are putting the state’s interests above their personal greed and are willing to break free from their destructive habit and change themselves and their families, personally and professionally.
The policitians should also make personal commitments to all Sabahans to being truth-bearers and honorable citizens of a healthy Sabah.
If this miracle truly materialise, Sabah can expect a bright bright future ahead.
FLK (leekhean.foo@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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