LDP Deputy President Chin Su Phin said the party itself does not consider the state as a fixed deposit for the ruling coalition as historically voting trends have indicated otherwise.
He was publicly taking issue yesterday with Ali Rustam (left) who said that "there is no way that the opposition can dislodge the BN in Sabah" during a visit to the state.He cited Sabah's past "failed' experiment with the opposition as a warning to opposition-ruled states in West Malaysia.
"When Peninsular Malaysian leaders come to Sabah, they never go down to the field and see the real situation for themselves," charged Chin. "They just come to Kota Kinabalu and make empty statements to please us. We are not free of problems."
Chin routinely questions why the oft-cited BN spirit is lacking in the Sabah coalition and feels that the LDP is being overlooked.
He claims that certain sections of the grassroots are not satisfied with the current Sabah BN state leadership "and this must not be dismissed outright".
He said that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is aware of the 'real situation in Sabah' and hopes that he will intervene in time to replace Sabah BN leaders having problems with the grassroots.
Chin publicly reminded the BN leadership that some Chinese majority seats, for example, were won in the last round by razor-thin margins.
If the dissatisfaction at that level is not addressed, the BN may end up losing certain seats to the opposition in the next general election, he warned.
BN's unfulfilled promises
Chin is not the only BN leader taking the coalition to task publicly over alleged failings.
PBRS (Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah) Joseph Kurup (left) and Upko (United Pasok Momogun KadazanDusunMurut Organisation) Deputy President Wilfred Bumburing have both publicly questioned the power-sharing formula practiced by the BN.
Kurup's main complaint is that the PBRS has nothing to show for its 15 years in the BN and fears that the party will vanish one day. The last formal meeting of the state BN was four years ago.
They have also raised a host of forgotten promises including those on the poverty rate and ethnic imbalances in the public sector and education.
The Sabah BN BackBenchers Club (BNBBC) has been quick to dismiss Chin's statement as "clearly reflecting self-interest rather than the agenda of the people".
BNBBC chairman Rubin Balang pledged full support for Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman's leadership and the federal government.
Rubin, a Murut, was among the early defectors to Umno who precipitated the fall of the PBS (Parti Bersatu Sabah) Government in 1994, then a month into its unprecedented fourth term in office.
courtesy of Malaysiakini
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