Aliran Media Statement

Stop threatening the Sabah voters

On 12-13 March, the Sabah election will determine whether the Sabah electorate as a whole will once again reject the Barisan Nasional (BN).

For the record, the BN has not won a single election in Sabah beginning with the election of 20-21 April 1985. Five years ago, the BN was able to form the Sabah state government, after losing the election to the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), only by inducing the defection of several PBS representatives.

Right now, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and his new deputy, Abdullah Badawi, desperately need a victory to control the growing discontent with Dr. Mahathir's leadership within UMNO, and not least within Sabah UMNO which was a bastion of support for Anwar Ibrahim before Anwar's sacking on 2 September 1998.

Hence, the BN leaders once again threaten the Sabah electorate that the Federal Government will not cooperate with an opposition state government. They have also explicitly threatened to cut off development funding from opposition-held constituencies.

It is pathetic that Dr. Mahathir and the BN have not learnt from the lesson of Tambunan in 1984 when the BN's abrogation of the district status of Tambunan sparked the rise of the PBS. It is downright insulting to the Sabah voters just days away from the state election for the Prime Minister to be so bullying and intimidating.

Aliran calls upon all contestants and their campaigners, particularly those aligned with the BN, to declare, openly and explicitly, their principled respect for

fair and balanced federal-state relations according to the Constitution

the fundamental right of the voter to decide the government of the day, and,

the right of all taxpayers, regardless of political persuasion, to enjoy the benefits of federally-funded programmes.

Otherwise, Dr. `Privatisation' should be consistent and add that voters in opposition-held constituencies who don't benefit from federal projects won't have to pay federal taxes.


Aliran Executive Committee
9 March 1999