Rahman upbeat on Sepangar, not Inanam
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan said BN can win in Sepangar, but is unsure about its chances in Inanam.
KOTA KINABALU: Acting Upko president Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau is among the most vocal ministers during federal cabinet meetings, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan.
The Science, Technology and Innovation Minister pays special attention to cabinet papers that concerns Sabah and will comment about it if he is unhappy with the contents of the proposal.
“He will object to it if he thinks it does not protect the interests of Sabah, and in the Cabinet, the paper will not be passed if there is no consensus.
“So, who said that ministers from Sabah never give their opinions or objects to policies which we feel do not protect the interest of or are not beneficial to Sabah,” Abdul Rahman said.
The Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) secretary during a meeting with Upko Sepanggar members on Sunday night, also recorded his appreciation to the party which, according to him, has a very dedicated leadership starting from former president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, to the current acting president Tangau.
“You have been consistently showing your maturity in terms of serving the rakyat and is a loyal as well as valuable member to fellow BN parties. There are a few things I noticed and one of them is that Upko has a very clear program for the young people.
“I have mentioned this to Dompok and Tangau because I could see that Upko has the vibrancy of leadership provided previously by Dompok and now by Tangau, There is freshness in your approach which is based on study and actions as well as not making decisions rashly,” he pointed out.
“I like Upko on certain issue because your discourse is done in a matured manner and not based on emotions,” he said.
The BN Strategic Communication director also reminded those attending the gathering that Sabah is different from the other states in Peninsular Malaysia.
“Sabah is special even though we are one of 14, we have rights. Without us there is no Malaysia,” he said, adding that because it is different, Umno Sabah cannot be equated with its counterparts in Peninsular Malaysia.
“Sabah’s interest is different and our political history is different. We will support the president of Umno, there is no doubt about it, but we will reserve our rights to criticize any federal government policy that will not benefit the people of Sabah and our beloved state,” he said.
According to him, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has shown that he cares for Sabah and its people. This trait is unlike his six predecessors, and even combined, they cannot beat Najib in ensuring that Sabah and its rakyat’s rights are protected.
The Kota Belud member of parliament also assured folks in Inanam that he will fight for their rights.
“Even though I am an Umno member of parliament, a Bajau and a Muslim. When your rights are not being protected, I will go and fight for you. I have defended some of your rights and one of them is the use of the word ‘Allah’ by Christians in the state. I told Prime Minister and Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein that there is no issue in my constituency with the use of the word Allah. Let it be, it is their rights,” he said.
The things that Upko has been fighting for many years, in the end, this Prime Minister admitted to what you have been championing all this while, he pointed out.
He also said that he will channel assistance to ensure that Upko Sepanggar will be able to move and help BN candidate in the 14th general election.
“I will discuss with the BN chairman about the parliament allocation, so that Upko Sepanggar will be given an official figure for their programs. We are one big family and if I win, it will be because of your support and hard work.
“BN will be victorious but does Inanam want to be with us? This is the issue, we will retain both the state and federal governments but DUN Inanam how? That is why you need to go down to the ground to tell them not to waste this opportunity to be with BN.
“Don’t miss out on this opportunity and suffer for five years. Election is not about desire or emotion. You cannot be emotional deciding the future of the country,” he said, adding that BN is the most successful multi-national party in the world therefore they must take pride in it.
“We can win in Sepanggar, but my worry is about Inanam which we lost last time not because the opposition was strong but because of internal problems, let’s face it. This is my worry because PBS has many extraordinary leaders but we can only choose one.
“So, our duty is to ensure that BN’s candidate(s), no matter who they are win in the election. There is no compromise on this. Why is it that we have lasted this long, it is because our politics is not for election. Like PBS, even though its candidate lost the Inanam seat in the 13th general election, it still continued to serve the people. This is a party that is not just about election,” he stressed.
During the gathering Abdul Rahman disclosed that the Prime Minister has approved RM10 million for the churches in Sabah.
He also announced that Upko Sepanggar and PBS Inanam will be getting a van each to carry out their work in serving the rakyat.