Sabah, Sarawak should be wiser in choosing leaders, Rafizi says

SHAH ALAM - Sarawak dan Sabah’s voters were advised to be wiser in choosing their leaders to ensure their welfare to be assured, says Rafizi Ramli.

The PKR deputy president reminisced about the time when the establishment of Sarawak and Sabah with Malaya to form Malaysia was to give freedom to everyone.

He touched on the poverty issues in Sarawak and Sabah, and expressed his disappointment over the irresponsible leaders of the twoo states.

“The leading cause of their misery is when those who were given the authority and position broke the trust.

“In Sabah and Sarawak, the people who made wealth from this power trust also took the opportunity to point the finger at the "Peninsula" as the cause of all the problems in Sabah and Sarawak.

"That is an easy way to cover up their mistakes and breach of trust by hiding behind regional sentiments that divide the brotherhood of the people," he claimed in a statement.

He believed the position of the two countries in Malaysia Federation as provinces (not states) as was the original spirit of the founding of Malaysia and the people there deserve a fair and commensurate result from the wealth of their region.

It followed the distribution of the Federal Government's allocation was not the reason of the poverty in the two regions.

"It relates to the trust and ecosystem matter that should be in Sabah and Sarawak and Malaysia Federation Law should strictly punish those who stole the wealth and make sure the wealth flows to the people in Sabah and Sarawak.

"Sabah and Sarawak people need to choose rulers and administrators who are not only honest but also intelligent, visionary and competent to govern because Sabah and Sarawak should develop at a faster rate than the Peninsula to be at the same level of development," he said.

He claimed the welfare in Sabah and Sarawak also could be assured if the distribution of allocation following the spirit of establishment of Malaysia Federation should be fought along with eradicating those who betrayed the trust.

Rafizi also wished the people of Sabah and Sarawak a Happy Malaysia Day, and advised them not to be deceived by the political game that could lead to a fight between Sabah and Sarawak against Peninsula.

"I also hoped that the people in Peninsula would accept that it is unfair to treat Sabah and Sarawak as just one of the states in the Malaysia Federation because that is not the spirit of the establishment of Malaysia in the first place," he said.