With Umno came darkness, says SAPP leader

By Queville To - Free Malaysia Today

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah's darkest hours in history was when Umno spread its wings to the state, said a Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) leader. Dullie Marie's comments come just ahead of the 47th anniversary to mark the formation of Malaysia on Sept 16.

The SAPP supreme council member said Umno's divide and rule tactics worked well to disunite the people along religious and racial lines.

“We saw how Sabah leaders were dethroned by the federal government's 'invisible hands', watched theatrical acts by our leaders and their kowtowing to the powers of federal leaders," he added.

Dullie was responding to former Sabah Umno information chief Karim Ghani, who called on the state government to pass a resolution in the state assembly to affirm Sabah's position as an equal partner in the formation of Malaysia and not just as another state.

Karim said: "If Tunku said you form Malaysia, you (Sabah) become one of the 13 states... I don't think the Sabah and Sarawak leaders would have been so stupid to accept."

However, Dullie who supported Karin on this issue, said he doubted that the state government would accept or even consider the latter's call.

He said the British government was another guilty party that owed Sabahans an explanation for their predicament.

“Sabah gained independence from the British on Aug 31, 1963. Two weeks later on Sept 16, Sabah together with Sarawak, Brunei and Singapore were invited by Malaya to form Malaysia," he said.

He noted that the “20-Point Agreement” which recognised Sabah as one of the three entities (Sabah, Sarawak and Malaya) with its purpose to safeguard the interests, rights and autonomy of Sabah upon entering the federation of Malaysia, as evidence that Sabah was a partner in the formation of Malaysia.

Dullie also concurred with Karim who said that the question of what happens to the 11 states under the federation is their own business and has nothing to do with Sabah and Sarawak.

“We all know that race and religion have been dominating issues in Semenanjung (Peninsular). But these topics have never been an issue in Sabah because Sabahans are very much tolerant and accommodative on these issues,” he said.

The SAPP leader said while most of the issues in Semenanjung do not have an impact in the state, he nonetheless cautioned that Umno might import the political culture of racial and religious discrimination into Sabah.

He was also surprised that Karim, who is one of those responsible for the expansion of Umno in Sabah, was now questioning the position of Sabah within Malaysia.