KOTA KINABALU, May 3 — Gagasan junior divisional leaders at Kiulu and Bingkor who literally challenged United Sabah National Organisation (Usno), a Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) member party, to leave GRS if Usno felt belittled, should remember the reality and history of Sabah politics, said Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Yong Teck Lee.

Yong said the reality is that Gagasan Rakyat is not as strong as Umno before Umno’s downfall in 2018.

“Similarly, the GRS coalition is not as strong as the BN coalition in 2018. Let’s be honest with ourselves. As the old saying goes, honesty is the best policy.

“Yet, some Gagasan Rakyat junior leaders behave and talk as though they are as big and powerful as Umno at its (Umno’s) peak when in power before 2018,” he added in a statement yesterday.

Yong who is GRS deputy chairman, said Gagasan Rakyat should teach their junior leaders some of Sabah’s history, lest history repeats itself.

“I still recall that in 2006, Umno had arrogantly challenged UPKO to leave the then ruling BN because UPKO was vehemently opposing (successfully) the relocation of non-local squatters from Putatan to Kg Maang in Penampang because of the serious disruption to the demography of Penampang that could have been caused by the new settlers at Kg Maang. I have never seen UPKO been publicly belittled like that.

“Well, when the time came and UPKO finally did leave BN in 2018, BN-Umno immediately fell from power in a dramatic fashion. Timing is everything. And, tomorrow, UPKO will be happily celebrating its 31st anniversary,” said Yong.

He said another dramatic fall from power happened in 1985 one year after the then dominant BN had expelled Usno from BN at its fateful meeting in Labuan on 15 April 1984 on the eve of the tragic federalisation of Labuan (on 16 April 1984).

“Usno was expelled from the ruling BN coalition because Usno had opposed the federalisation of Labuan. In the following state elections on 20 and 21 April 1985 (when the BN Prime Minister had made its infamous pledge to ‘sink or swim’ with the sole BN component party Berjaya), the high and mighty party BN-Berjaya was reduced from its 44 seats to a measly six seats. Opposition PBS and Usno and Pasok captured the rest of the 48 seats. Party Berjaya, which had a monopoly of power, was crushed by the will of the Sabah people at the ballot box,” he said.

Yong, who was Sabah Chief Minister from May 1996 to May 1998, said Gagasan Rakyat junior divisional leaders should emulate the inclusive character of GRS/Gagasan leader, Datuk Hj Hajiji Hj Noor, and work on strengthening GRS by, first of all, honestly evaluating GRS’s own strengths and weaknesses. Start by relooking at the Sabah Government bureaucracy and delivery system. And practise our own ‘Rumah Kita, Kita Jaga’ slogan.

Yong added GRS is also fortunate to have a very capable Minister of Finance, Datuk Masidi Manjun, the Gagasan Rakyat deputy president, who has had to make difficult but necessary decisions in managing Sabah’s finances and getting more revenues from Sabah’s oil and gas sector.

“But the implementation of government projects for ordinary people needs more urgency and efficiency,” he said.

On Wednesday, Gagasan Rakyat Bingkor Deputy Division chief Rafie Robert and Kiulu deputy chief Datuk George Teo asked Usno to leave GRS if they feel been belittled.

They were responding to Usno President Tan Sri Pandikar Amin’s statement that the party may be forced to contest solo in the upcoming State election which must be held by this November if they continue to be belittled and sidelined within the GRS coalition. — The Borneo Post