Kota Kinabalu, Saturday, 13 September 2025
As reported in local media, PKR national deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar has urged Sabahans to reject “toxic politics”.
But the truth is, toxic politics is not homegrown in Sabah. It is imported from Malaya.
Sabah and Sarawak have long been models of harmony, where diverse communities live and work side by side in harmony.
Sabahans do not need lectures about unity from Kuala Lumpur politicians. We have practised it for generations.
If Malaya parties are serious about “non-toxic politics,” they should refrain from contesting in Sabah’s state elections and stop coming here with a “master.” Real respect means allowing Sabah’s own parties and people to elect our own government.
If Nurul Izzah truly wants solutions instead of toxicity, she should first address her coalition’s own record.
Just last month, the Madani government tried to force through the Urban Renewal Act (URA) — a bill that would have allowed federal authorities and developers to seize homes with as little as 75% consent for buildings over 30 years old, providing only vague promises on compensation, offered no clear legal safeguards for owners to challenge decisions in court, and granted the federal Minister of Housing and Local Government sweeping, overreaching powers.
The proposed URA bill was deeply flawed and would have caused human misery, uprooting families and destroying communities.
Another unwanted solution to the federal government’s declining revenues is the now notorious SST, also nicknamed Suka Suka Tax and taxes on NGOs which are putting new burdens on ordinary people.
Sabah needs solutions and local leaders who answer only to the people of Sabah, not to party bosses in Putrajaya.
Lawyer Yong Yit Jee
SAPP Supreme Council Member cum Vice Youth Chief