Batu Sapi vote turns referendum for BN in Sabah
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman has taken personal charge of the campaign to put Datin Linda Tsen Thau Lin into Parliament while defending the ruling coalition’s record.
“It is not fair to say that Sabah is the poorest state,” he declared in an interview with The Malaysian Insider.
The opposition has been criticising the BN leadership in Sabah for having failed to deliver on its promises for the past 16 years since it ruled the state.
Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) candidate Datuk Yong Teck Lee has been reminding the people on his campaign trail that although Sabah had been the second richest state in Malaysia in the 1970s, it had deteriorated to become the country’s poorest state today.
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who played a key role in handing Sabah to BN in 1995, has gone on the stump for PKR candidate Ansari Abdullah with the message that they can do better for the state.
Musa however dismissed such talk today and insisted that his representatives had been doing a sterling job in providing for the people.
And he expressed confidence in BN’s chances in the by-election, pointing out that Sabah folk knew how to be grateful to those who brought them development.
He said the state, under BN, had flourished over the years and had “no problems” obtaining development allocation due to its good relationship with the Federal government.
“In my experience, as long as you have served the people well, met their demands, brought infrastructure and develoment to them, they will be happy.
“People of Sabah know how to be grateful. They know how to say thank you if you bring them development,” he said.
This, he added, was why it was not viable for Batu Sapi constituents to vote for an opposition candidate as they would not be able to obtain funds to develop the area.
“The Federal government is very positive and knows the needs of the state. That is why it is very important and good to have a sound relationship between the state and the Federal governments.
“And that is the point that I want to tell the people,” he said.
Musa reminded voters that it was pointless for a person to become a politician if he or she could get nothing to help the constituents.
“The people want development,” he pointed out.
Musa said that if the people wanted an MP whose voice would be heard in Parliament, they were better off selecting Tsen.
“It is better to have an MP from BN because then when you talk, people will hear you and when you ask for what you want, you will get it,” he claimed.
On his part, Musa claimed that almost everything that he requested from the Federal government for state development was approved.
He also noted that Sabah folk were very “particular people” and wanted a representative who could deliver in terms of work and not merely political speeches.
“If you keep talking but nothing comes out of it, it is no good. They need infrastructure and development very badly but as an opposition MP, what can you offer them? You can only talk till your mouth is dry,” he said.
He said that under his administration, his state ministers and elected representatives knew that it was important to serve the people by constantly engaging with them and getting to know their needs and problems.
“A YB or Yang Berhormat does not mean that.... it means Yang Berkhidmat because you should be working for the people.
“This is what we have been doing and I am not being boastful or anything but you can see the development here,” he said.
Ticking off the numerous achievements of the BN during its reign in the state, Musa noted that the government had given Sabahans good roads, new facilities, an education hub, an airport, low-cost housing, bridges and many other amenities to their convenience.
“We are also tolerant of other races and we have embarked on many programmes to aid the poor,” he said.
Musa added that it was “unfair” to accuse the Federal government of having neglected development in east Malaysia.
“We get a lot of money for development. In the Ninth Malaysia Plan, the government gave us over RM15 billion to develop the state. The expenses for the security on our coastline itself are a good example.
“They give us a lot of money to develop the infrastructure so this is our selling plan to the people of Sabah,” he said.
Musa also rubbished talk that the results of the Batu Sapi by-election would be an indication of what would likely happen in the 13th general election.
“Maybe we may lose some in the general election but we will still win enough to comfortably form government here in Sabah,” he claimed.
Polling day for the Batu Sapi by-election is on November 4.
It is a three-way battle for the seat between BN’s Tsen, SAPP’s Yong and PKR’s Ansari Abdullah.
The seat, comprising 25,582 voters, fell vacant following the death of Tsen’s late husband, Datuk Edmund Chong Ket Wah during a biking accident on October 9.
Chong had won the seat with a 3,708-vote majority over independent Chung On Wing in Elections 2008.
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