
Sabah Umno veteran Salleh Said Keruak has denied implying that Sabah-based parties should submit to federal parties for the sake of stability, after being accused of insulting Sabahans in his recent comments on Sarawak’s model of autonomy.
Salleh said such accusations were unreasonable. He said political stability stemmed from establishing “sincere and honest” cooperation between Sabah and the federal government.
“Sarawak has its own model and so does Sabah,” he said. “We must choose the appropriate approach based on the context and political realities in Sabah and not blindly emulate or reject any party outrightly.”
Earlier today, the Daily Express reported that the president of an NGO had accused Salleh of insulting Sabahans by suggesting that stability comes from submission to federal parties, when Salleh suggested that Sabah could not follow Sarawak’s model of autonomy.
Daniel John Jambun, of Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation, said Salleh’s remarks had betrayed Sabah’s founding promises under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and was an affront to the intelligence of the people.
Salleh, a former chief minister, said on Monday that Sabah could not afford to follow Sarawak in shutting out national parties after suggestions had been made that Pakatan Harapan could be accepted in Sabah, but not Barisan Nasional.
He said differences of opinions should not be an excuse to resort to personal attacks. “Politics should be based on healthy discourses and ideas and not hate,” he said in a Facebook post.