Speech

by Lim Guan Eng

(Kota Kinabalu, Sunday): I am pleased to receive the membership forms for the formation of two protem DAP branches conprising solely of KDM members from Sdr Stephen Jimbangan and Sdr Jeffry Jusing Sabran ,who are pro-tem Chairman of Kepayan and Kuamut Branches respectively. DAP also welcomes our first bumi female lawyer in Sdri Evelyn John Ganjos who has been practicing for 10 years.

More KDM are joining the DAP because they are fed up with the broken promises of BN despite receiving the largest mandate in the last general elections where they only lost one state and one parliamentary seat. All Sabahans must fight BN and UMNO for failing to keep its promises such as rotation of the post of Chief Minister, failure to protect the rights of Sabahans and allowing Sabah to be the poorest and least developed state in Malaysia

All the non-Muslim bumis have lost out when BN refused to keep its promise of a rotation of Chief Minister. The KDM despite being the largest bumi group has been the biggest loser, marginalized both politically and economically. Its KDM leaders have lost courage and dare not speak up for the rights of Sabahans and their community.

What is the use of talking about national integrity and sovereignty when large parts of Sabah are taken over by foreigners or illegal immigrants fraudulently given ICs under Project M? A BN component party admitted that there were an estimated 1.75 million foreigners in Sabah, including those in possession of Project Mahathir’s ICs. The state's population increased by 363% from 648,693 in 1970 to “about three million” in 2005, compared to Sarawak's 135% from 976,269 to 2.3 million.

Given that the state's population, according to official statistics, was 2.6 million in 2000, foreigners now outnumber the locals by two to one. If Sabah's rate of population increase was the same as Sarawak's, then Sabah should have only 1.5 million population today. It would mean Sabah having more than a million fewer people.

In a reply by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in Parliament on 26 June 2006 to Seputeh MP and DAP National Publicity Secretary Teresa Kok,  Sabah had a population of 2.98 million where 51.5% (1.54 million) were males and 1.44 million(48.5%) females. This is shown population ethnic breakdown was as follows:

Malays                                    342,500          15.3%

Kadazan/Dusun                      530,000          23.7

Bajau                                       399,300         17.8

Murut                                        98,400            4.4

Bumi lain                                436,300         19.6

Cina                                        287,200          12.8

Lain-lain etnik                       143,500            6.4

Jumlah Wargenegara         2,237,100       100.00%                 76.1%

Bukan Warganegara              743,000                                  24.9%

JUMLAH                            2,980,700                                100.00%

The government claims that illegal foreigners account for 25% of the country’s population. This figure is less than half of the estimate of NGOs. Who are the bumi lain? Under Project M, the Malays and bumi lain is now the largest ethnic group with 34.9%, far exceeding the previously largest ethnic group of KDM of 28.1%.

This has caused severe marginalization of KDM and non-Muslim bumis politically as can be now seen that no KDM can ever hope to be Chief Minister. Economically all Sabahans have lost out under UMNO, with a high crime rate, the poorest state in Malaysia, the least developed state and the highest income inequality between the rich and poor with a mean monthly household income of RM 2,487 ranking eight out of 14 states in Malaysia but the worst poverty levels at 23 %..Sabah has the second lowest water supply coverage of 75% throughout the state just ahead of the 70% water supply coverage in Kelantan.

Sabah has a mean monthly income of RM 2,487 in 2004. How many households have a mean monthly income of RM 2,487 when Sabah has the highest poverty incidence of 23%. Malaysia has the worst income disparity in South-East Asia between the rich and poor with the share of income of the bottom 40% of the population enjoying only 13.5% whilst the share of the top 20% increased 51.2%. The income disparity is clearly much worse in Sabah where the rich has become richer whilst the poor remain poor.

Malaysia has much wealth. The only problem is that it is not shared equitably with other Malaysians. As an oil exporter, Malaysians have not received a single cent of oil revenues even though Petronas earned RM 500 billion since it was established 31 years ago in 1974. If this RM 500 billion was shared with every needy Malaysian who is not wealthy, each Malaysian young and old can get at least RM 20,000 each.

But Malaysians have not received a single cent of oil revenues due to extensive corruption by the BN government as absolute power corrupts absolutely. A household of 5 would receive RM 10,000 per year and would not fear petrol and electricity price hikes as well as assist them in reducing the financial burdens. But why have we not received a single cent when this is our birthright as oil revenues from our oil resources belongs not to one company or to any individual but to all Malaysians.

If a non-oil exporter like Singapore can give S$2.6 billion (RM 6 billion) cash under the 2006 Budget this year to all Singaporeans, especially the poor, why can’t the Malaysian government do so when Petronas has earned nearly RM 500 billion since its inception in 1971? Oil importer Singapore has given $10.675 billion  (RM 24 billion) directly to its people since 2000 as compared to Petronas which has not given a single cent.

The natural question that Badawi must answer is how come Malaysians can not get a single cent directly from the RM 500 billion oil revenues whilst Singaporeans without a single cent of earning from oil revenue can benefit from RM 24 billion these last 5 years? Only DAP is seeking accountability and economic justice for all Sabahans and Malaysians to prevent all our oil revenue from being misused by the irresponsible BN leaders.

(13/08/2006)