PENAMPANG: Sabah’s political leaders must unite to demand the state’s 40pc tax revenue entitlement from the Federal Government, with the payments made annually rather than in instalments, said former Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan.
“All leaders from Sabah must unite and fight to get back the 40 pc,” he said, after the launch of his autobiography at the KDCA on Saturday.
“The young people must support this because the future belongs to them. We will not be here forever. The young people should realise the importance of defending and fighting for Sabah,” he said.
Pairin also called all Sabahans to unite in defending state rights and to seek new negotiations on Sabah’s position in Malaysia, including greater autonomy.
He said the Federal Constitution should be more reflective of Sabah’s position, saying the current framework was based on the Malayan Constitution.
“We were once on an equal footing, but they downgraded and grouped us (during Berjaya after the Double Six tragedy in 1976) with the states in Peninsular Malaysia,” he said, referring to before the constitutional amendment in 2022 which then reverted the status to that at the time of the Malaysia Agreement 1963.
Pairin said the 45-day-old PBS victory in the 1985 State election against mighty Parti Berjaya that was in power for nine years was due to the people being very angry with the actions of a dictator.
The former Chief Minister said they wanted to punish Tan Sri Harris Salleh for switching off the lights in Sandakan when the opposition DAP (Fung Ket Wing) won there.
Pairin said after he quit Berjaya upon being challenged to do so by Harris at the party congress for questioning Berjaya’s policies, he stood as an independent against the Berjaya candidate (Victor Ongkili) in Tambunan in December 1984 and won.
“He (Harris) was angry. He took back the development funds and downgraded Tambunan to a sub district. People had to go to Keningau for matters such as paying tax.
“People became even more angrier,” he said. Harris also handed over Labuan to the Federal Government without consultation and without any compensation whatsoever that same year. The island now earns revenue estimated at RM6-8 billion yearly, mostly from oil and gas.
He said Usno was also angry and wanted to fight. The 1985 election was a snap election and PBS was not yet registered as a party then.
“I approached Pandikar Amin on whether I could use his Party Bersih if needed but with me as President as our members were more but he refused.” He then approached Pasok and talks were due. I went to Boston in the United States to look for Datuk Seri Musa Hitam (Deputy Prime Minister). Before the (Pasok) meeting, our PBS certificate arrived on March 5, 1985,” he said.
Pairin said despite winning with a simple majority, he found it impossible to be sworn in as CM.
Musa (Deputy PM) was firm and said PBS was the winner. Only then did the Yang di-Pertua Negeri agree, after swearing in Tun Mustapha before dawn.
Pairin said he was summoned to the Istana on April 22 at half past eight that night. “It was quiet. Only Datuk Nicholas Fung, the Attorney General, Hamid Egoh, the State Secretary and police were there,” he said. “That was when I was sworn in. Then we became the government.” He said Usno and Berjaya plotted against his 1985 swearing in as CM. “Usno had 16 seats and Berjaya had six. They had no majority. We had the majority,” Pairin said.
“They plotted to force Tun Mustapha to be sworn in. Then they would appoint six nominated assemblymen. That is against the law.
“They invaded the Istana until I could not get in,” he said. “Even then we were disturbed. We could govern for only 11 months. The other side tried to lure PBS assemblymen to weaken support.”During the court proceedings, then TYT Tun Adnan Robert said he swore in Mustapha after being threatened with a gun by Yahya Lampong.
Pairin said he dissolved the assembly before the 11 months ended, forcing a second election in 1986. “Some (defectors) were still on the plane to Kuala Lumpur but had already lost their positions as assemblymen (while in the air),” he said.
He said PBS won more seats in the 1986 election. “Support increased. We got 32. You could no longer say we had no majority,” he said.
He said he went straight to the Istana this time. “We wanted to be quick because we were afraid they would kidnap (or lure the PBS election winners),” he said.
Pairin said his second term went well. “We governed well. The people knew us more and supported us more.” He said he dissolved the assembly after four of five years. PBS added seats from 32 to 34 or 36. “That was more than two thirds,” he said.
