'Cash is king' returns : President claims attempts underway to 'buy over' leaders and weaken Star

KOTA KINABALU – Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) president Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan alleges that attempts are underway to weaken his party by offering cash incentives to division chiefs to resign and leave STAR.

He said several division leaders had been called to meetings and asked to publicly announce their resignation, accompanied by monetary offers.

Jeffrey expressed his disappointment that ‘cash is king’ politics continued to persist in Kuala Lumpur.

“We received reports that several division chiefs were called to a meeting and asked to resign and make a statement to leave the party. They were asked, ‘how much do you want?’” he said during a press conference in Kota Kinabalu on Sunday.

Jeffrey claimed the incident reflected the re-emergence of money politics, a practice he believes would continue as political players attempt to buy over party leaders, especially those who are not candidates.

He added that there was also a possibility that candidates might be offered money.

He further revealed that two initial reports had been received involving different areas, suggesting that the political culture seen in the federal capital remained unchanged.

He expressed his disappointment that ‘cash is king’ politics continued to persist in Kuala Lumpur, saying that the same practices seen in the past were still happening today.

Jeffrey cautioned Sabahans not to fall into the same trap as in the past, warning that future generations might suffer the consequences.

He warned that if Sabah were to fall further behind and return to the control of national parties, future generations would ‘spit on their graves’.

He called on the people to rise and defend their rights, ensuring that political power remains with local parties and leaders.

“Forget about the leaders for a moment. I hope the ordinary people will rise this time, stand up and be counted.

“Ensure that power is returned to local parties and leaders so that political rights remain in Sabah and the state is governed by its own people,” he said.

Jeffrey also urged Sabahans to take inspiration from Brunei, Singapore and Sarawak, which he said exemplified political strength and unity.

He said Brunei chose not to join the Federation because it foresaw a bleak future if it did and today the nation stands strong as an independent country.

“Singapore, although small, was once used and later expelled from Malaysia, but it has now become one of the most prosperous countries in the world.

Sarawak is another close example – when they united and used that strength to claim their rights, look at where they are now, far ahead of Sabah,” he said.

He also reminded Sabahans to remain steadfast in demanding the full implementation of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report and the Federal Constitution.

“It means that the people of Sabah must stand firm. We must fight and demand that everything contained in the MA63, IGC Report, and the Federal Constitution be fully implemented,” he said.

Jeffrey further stressed that money politics must stop, especially since parties from the Peninsula already control the majority of parliamentary seats.

He questioned why representatives from the Peninsula should contest in Sabah when the state only has 73 seats compared to more than 520 in the Peninsula.