KOTA KINABALU, July 8 — Despite sticking to the Barisan Nasional and freezing its no-faith move against the prime minister, the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) continues to criticise Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's leadership while attacking his Umno for stoking racial sentiments.
The tiny SAPP, which has two MPs under the BN, said it will not allow racial politics to bury real issues affecting the people or give the authorities an excuse to declare an emergency, calling a recent army-police joint exercise "psychological warfare"
"The denials (of impending emergency rule) from the PM carry no weight among the people because of his previous flip flops such as ‘no dissolution of Parliament’, ‘no fuel price hikes’, ‘no fuel to foreign cars’, ‘paying salaries twice a month’, etc," SAPP said in a statement dated July 6 and made available on its website.
SAPP president Datuk Yong Teck Lee announced on June 18 the party had lost confidence in Abdullah and would move or support a no-confidence vote against him when Parliament reconvened but it proved to be anti-climatic as both its lawmakers stayed away from Parliament, claiming threats to their lives. The plan is now on ice due to the current political climate, the party said yesterday.
But the SAPP is now turning its sights on the dominant Umno, accusing Umno Youth secretary and Kota Belud MP Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan of stirring racial sentiments for warning last week of bloodshed if SAPP lawmakers carried out their threat to vote against Abdullah.
"This kind of inflammatory talk is totally unwarranted and an affront to parliamentary democracy. SAPP hails the decision of the Speaker for putting a stop to the incendiary remarks of the first-term MP," it said, noting Umno leaders have yet to learn their mistakes that warning of bloodshed or brandishing the keris had cost the coalition massive losses in the March election.
The Chinese-based party also highlighted talk of a PAS-Umno Youth alliance that will prevent the prime minister from being humiliated by a non-Malay lawmaker, saying it will not underestimate the risk of an Umno-PAS battle cry of "Ketuanan Melayu" (Malay supremacy).
"SAPP president has been told personally by a senior Umno leader that if SAPP proceeds with the motion against the PM, then it would be seen as a Chinese party versus the Malay leadership, reminding SAPP that the government media has deliberately portrayed SAPP as ‘Chinese’, even though, in fact, SAPP is a non-racial party with multi-racial members and leaders."
The party claimed its move was based on genuine grievances of the people and Sabah issues, denying an agenda for racial conflict and reiterating it has lost confidence in Abdullah.
"BN leaders too have lost confidence in the PM. Only the vested interests are cheering the PM like the story of the Emperor's clothes. SAPP nor its president has anything personal against the PM," it said, adding it had not made personal attacks on Abdullah's family unlike other Umno leaders.
The party said it reaffirms its eight-point declaration and called for a Sabah member in the National Petroleum Advisory Council as allowed under the Petroleum Development Act 1974 that formed the national oil company Petronas.
"Is there member from Sabah in this NPAC? If yes, who? If no, why not? Section 7A allows the delegation of powers to the state authority (say, the chief minister) under the Act over the oil and gas industry in Sabah. Is there such delegation of powers to the state authority?"
The party said it will continue to push for a review of oil royalties in the interests of the people.
Malaysian Insider
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