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SAPP commemorates 3 years of pullout

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) commemorates the third anniversary of its pull-out from the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government to stand on the opposition side and fight for Sabah's autonomy with the flying of the party flags along the roads throughout Sabah.

Some SAPP members were also seen driving their vehicles proudly with the party flags.


Three years on, SAPP continued with its belief and struggle that only kept on getting stronger, said Deputy President Amde Sidek.

"By making SAPP flags visible all over the places we want to remind the people that SAPP's struggle, especially after ditching BN on Sept 17, 2008 will never waver … we want to tell the people that we are still here fighting," he said.

Amde who joined SAPP the moment it left the BN said he would not have entered into the political ring if SAPP had remained with the ruling coalition.

Another party leader who also joined right after the pull out, Dullie Marie said after three years SAPP continued to show its courage to fight for the interest of Sabah people and the State.

SAPP President Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee rocked the nation on Sept 17, 2008 when he announced the decision of the party's supreme council to leave everything behind in the BN to begin their political struggle in a new leaf.

Prior to the move, which was about five months after the 2008 General Election, Yong had been vociferous in calling for Sabah BN to take opportunity of the window of change that had opened up since Sabah together with Sarawak had literally saved BN from being toppled at the Federal level.

SAPP was also the only party in the country's political history that had announced a motion of no-confidence against a Prime Minister (Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi).

All these events led to the daring decision by SAPP, which was made despite the failed Pakatan Rakyat takeover of the government on Sept 16, 2008.

SAPP marks third year of pullout

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Hosting of SAPP flags in Karambunai


SAPP flags in Sandakan

SAPP marks third year of pullout

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) marked the third anniversary of its pullout from the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition and fight for Sabah's autonomy by flying the party's flags along roads statewide

Some party members drove their vehicles with the party's flags.

"By making SAPP flags visible all over the place we are reminding the people that SAPP's struggle, especially after ditching BN on Sept 17, 2008, will never waver...we want to tell the people that we are still here fighting," its Deputy President Amde Sidek said in a statement.

He said it was to remind the people about the sacrifice SAPP made after taking the bold decision despite its leaders being left jobless and political appointments revoked.

Information Chief Chong Pit Fah said it was also in conjunction with the Malaysia Day celebration. He noted that SAPP was also the only party in the country's political history to have moved a motion of no-confidence against a Prime Minister (Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) in Parliament.

Meanwhile, its President Datuk Yong Teck Lee, said a "revolution" among young people's thinking may be inevitable if the Federal Government continues to ignore the legitimate plights of Sabahans.

"What we see in the mainstream media now (is that) our political leaders including the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister, keep ignoring what is happening.

"Youth unemployment is very serious, gabbing of people's land(by private companies) is very serious. The people are losing their traditional livelihood and Culture and when they come into the urban area. There are no jobs, they become squatters, they become hopeless," the former Chief Minister said at the Hari Raya Open House hosted by, SAPP Vice President, Dullie Marie in Petagas, Tuesday.

He said Sabahan youths have migrated to the peninsula in search of betber jobs because most of the jobs in the Sabah Federal civil service were given to Malaysians from the peninsula.

He blamed this on the Federal Government's failure to honour the Borneonisation of the State civil service, which was part of the pre-condition in the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

In the past, he said, Sabah could accept the dispatching of senior officers for the various government departments and professionals in the various fields from the west (Peninsular Malaysia) which we were lacking.

But today, 48 years after Sabah achieved its independence, he said even junior staff like clerks and computer technicians for school were sent from Kuala Lumpur to work in Sabah.

The State Government he said claimed that it has trained 40,000 ICT technicians over the years, but on the other hand, computer technicians were still being dispatched from peninsula.

According to Yong the continuous exploitation of Sabah's natural resources, especially its oil and gas, had impoverished Sabah and its people, except for the ruling elites and their cronies.

He cited a recent case of a woman and her daughter found scavenging for food to feed their family.

He said they must go back to the Malaysia Agreement and land reform where by land will be given back to the people, proper human resource training, and employment given to youths here. "Otherwise you will get a radical solution."

Many people, he said, are talking about it especially in the alternative media and social networks such as Facebook. Yong said he is not comfortable with such talk. "Although the number is small, it can grow very fast.

Citing Mindanao, Philippines, he said the youth people of Mindanao no longer listen to their political leaders, including the MNLF and MILF who had failed them.

They are now doing things their own way, more radical and more violent he said.
SAPP flags in Kota Kinabalu, Penampang Areas


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