There is no need for Sabah to fear that it would lose its autonomy or the people their rights, said State Legislative Assembly Speaker, Datuk Mohd Salleh Keruak. He said the Barisan Nasional government would do all it can to ensure everyone enjoys equal rights in the country. He pointed out that as the general election nears, many parties would take the opportunity to find issues which could cast the present leadership in bad light. Among issues they would focus on for their own agenda, he said, include those on Native Customary Rights and land titles.
"But when we start asking why is the land here or that large piece of land in that district is owned by foreigners or West Malaysians we have to ask ourselves, and look deeper. "Then we will see that it is because our own people (original land owners), were the ones to sell the lands for fast and easy cash," he said, when winding-up the State-level social media convention in Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Saturday. "Another issue people often ask now is, why are there so many illegal immigrants? Where did they get all their ICs? Well, it may be because a certain person here says this person is his long distant relative, or that leader might say those people are his brothers," Salleh said.
Therefore, he said, it is not right for the locals here to keep blaming others when, in fact, they are the ones who made the decisions and were not forced into things or decisions they did not agree to. He also said the people had nothing to be afraid of because there are so many benefits and development felt by the people to date. "Just look at the State Cabinet and in most of our top State departmental posts, most of them are held by Sabahans. In the Federal Cabinet, there are also Sabahans such as Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili and Tan Sri Bernard Dompok," he stated.
"So there is nothing for us to worry about, because Sabah Umno and Barisan Nasional will always help stand up for and defend our rights," Salleh said. Another example, he cited, was the five per cent oil royalty for Sabah, which was also a decision agreed to by our forefathers in the early 70s. "If I were to choose, of course I want 100 per cent of the royalty for Sabah. But the fact remains that it was our forefathers who had agreed to whatever that was being discussed way before our time.
However, it does not mean it won't change. It might in future but it would be wrong to say that the Federal Government is taking advantage of us, because nobody forced us into doing or agreeing to anything. "Sabahans should not blame others for things they see and feel in the State currently, because we decided, and everything was based on our own free will," he stressed. Adding to that, Salleh also pointed out that Sabah and Sarawak being part of the formation of Malaysia, was also based on consensus among leaders and the people, even though there were a group of protestors at that time.
In this respect, he urged social media practitioners, be it bloggers, those on twitter, Facebook and so on to post and spread facts, and not "juicy news" the credibility of which may not have been proven. "More than 40 per cent of the population in Sabah have a Facebook account, though not everyone is active, yet the fact is that whatever you write on it will be seen by others.
"Therefore spread news and information the best you can, with credibility and truth. We cannot afford to be emotional in things we do. If we speak the truth, people will follow us," he pointed out. About 1,600 people including bloggers turned up for the convention.
Sources By: Daily Express
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