‘BN will lose its ‘fixed deposit”

KOTA KINABALU: A former Sabah chief minister has predicted that Barisan Nasional (BN) will no longer be able to call the state its ‘fixed deposit’ after the 13th general election.

Yong Teck Lee said the growing dissatisfaction over the direction of the economy as well as policies affecting Sabah and Sarawak would have an effect on the general election.

He said the opposition is also banking on a revolt by consumers in the two states over prices of goods remaining much higher compared to Peninsular Malaysia despite years of platitudes by the BN government each time the subject comes up.

“Prices of goods keep escalating over the years but the people’s salary in Sabah remains stagnant as compared to other states in the country,” said Yong, who is now president of opposition Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP).

He said the ordinary people had taken note that “the ruling Barisan Nasional leaders are busy engaging in a cold war to protect their own selfish interest, rather than that of the people.”

Yong sees the current trend of dissatisfaction among the lower and middle income group in the state translating into votes for SAPP and the opposition.

He said people are starting to realise that the BN-led government has failed to make good use of the enormous profits earned from oil and gas exports to keep the prices of goods down.

“The BN government could have used the revenues received from Petronas to keep the prices of goods low, in Sabah especially, but it failed to do so,”  said Yong who was speaking at the Parents’ Night organised by SAPP on Saturday.

Petronas recently announced a profit of close to RM100 billion of which RM57 billion was given to the government in dividends and taxes while oil-producing Sabah, Sarawak, Terengganu and Kelantan received a total of only RM4 billion as their 5% share in oil royalties.

‘Pakatan Rakyat Plus SAPP’

Consumers are also angry that the price of sugar has been steadily rising since Felda took over the sugar monopoly in the country from Robert Kuok’s Perlis Pelantations which had never raised the price for the commodity.

“What’s even more puzzling and dismaying is the fact that Felda is a government agency that is supposed to look after the people’s interest and welfare, instead of focusing on making profit alone,” said Yong.

Yong, who gleefully noted that the Parents’Night function had attracted more than double the number of wellwishers compared to last year, said SAPP would cooperate with the other opposition parties in Sabah to smash the BN hegemony in the state.

“The strength of a coalition like “Pakatan Rakyat Plus SAPP” would not only be able to break-up BN’s hegemony in Sabah, but also to form a new government at both the Federal and the state level,” he said to a thunderous applause.

The term “Pakatan Plus (SAPP)” was first introduced and proposed by DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang during a public forum organised by Sabah DAP in Kian Kok Middle School in late 2008.

Yong promised that all the flaws in the present BN administration will be rectified, the moment the “Pakatan Rakyat Plus SAPP” takes over the helm at both the Federal and the state level.

He was also delighted to note that despite having assumed the role of an opposition now, the support given by its members and supporters to the party has not dwindled but increased, as reflected by the increase in number of dinner tables at the function.

Among those present at the occasion were Yong’s wife Stella Yong, former state finance minister Mohd Noor Mansur, senior SAPP officials, and a Sabah PKR delegation led by James Ghani and Roman Lo who represented PKR Kota Kinabalu division chief, Christina Liew who is overseas. - FMT