Kota Kinabalu, Monday, 26 August, 2019: The complete silence from Sabah and federal Dap leaders on their fantastic promises to return to Sabah 50% of the taxes collected in Sabah and the 20% oil royalties is sad news for Sabah because the silence shows that Sabah Dap leaders have given up on these revenue rights. When people are waiting and suffering, Dap should know that “silence is not golden”.
To add insult to injury, the people of Kota Kinabalu are shocked to read the statement from a Sabah Dap leader, Chan Foong Hin, that the Sabah government will have to fork out RM3 million of State funds to complete the federal-funded Sky Bridge connecting Asia City to Api Api Centre and Oceanus Centre. Dap is now in control of the very powerful federal finance portfolio with access to huge sums of funds. The same federal minister of finance has allocated billions of ringgits for other projects in other parts of Malaysia. The Dap finance minister also announced RM2.28 billion for development projects in Sandakan in May this year, although what Sandakan got instead is more car parking charges. In the last one year, 5 new taxes have been imposed on the people, including Sabahans. This is grossly unjust to Sabah.
Not only is Sabah not getting what the federal government owes to Sabah, including a peanut amount like the RM2 million promised by Dap to complete the Sky Bridge, but Sabah now has to pay for uncompleted federal projects in Sabah.
In view of Sabah Dap apparently giving up on the fight for Sabah rights, the people of Kota Kinabalu also want to know what another top leader in Pakatan Harapan, who is also a Deputy Chief Minister and Assemblywoman for Api Api, Datuk Christina Liew, is doing to secure federal funds for the completion of the Sky Bridge and other projects in Kota Kinabalu. She is also an MP and the top leader of the Sabah chapter of her party, which occupied the influential post of Deputy Prime Minister. That Deputy Chief Minister and her party should spend more time efforts to fight for Sabah rights instead of being busy cutting ribbons and appearing in newspapers every day.
Chin Vui Kai
Information Chief, SAPP