Media statement by Dr. Hiew King Cheu in Petaling Jaya on Tuesday, 6^th July 2010:

Meeting of Sabahan in Klang Valley

The first meeting of Sabahan in the Klang Valley held in Petaling Jaya on Sunday, July 4, 2010 to discuss specifically the problems of Sabahan in the Klang Valley and generally the concerns, grievances and frustrations of Sabahan 47 years in Malaysia Resolves as follows:-

1. Express grave concern at the socio-economic plight of Sabahan stranded in the Klang valley to the extend that homeless Sabahan had to scavenge for food from garbage bins outside restaurants in the Klang Valley or depend on food served by NGOs;

2. Express grave distress at the spectrum of outstanding political, economic, socio-economic culture and citizenship woes of Sabahan, including:

   • the long outstanding problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah, causing the Sabahan population to multiply from some 400,000 during the formation of Malaysia in 1963 to over three million today.

   • Poverty in Sabah-In stead of eradication of poverty in Sabah as promised by Barisan Nasional in 2000, Sabah has the highest poverty rate in the country.

   • Shocking backwardness in the development of basic infrastructure in Sabah whether roads, piped water, electricity and broadband to Sabahan.

   • Denial and discrimination against the rights of Sabahan with regard to 20% instead of just 5% oil royalty payment to Sabah Government.

3. NOTES that the New Economic Model had pinpointed the basic failure of Malaysian nation-building which is not only undermining 1-Malaysia national-building and the transformation of Malaysia into a progressive, just and internationally competitive nation when it admitted why Malaysia is losing out in the international competitive stakes and stressed: "Malaysia must be seen by its people and by others as a land of equal opportunity to earn a good living and provide a secure, happy life for each individual and the family". It is this failure in the past 47 years of Malaysia nation-building to make Sabahan feel that they have an equal place under the Malaysia sun, and that Malaysia is "a land of equal opportunity to earn a good living and provide a secure, happy life for each individual and the family" that have made Sabahan feel strangers not only in Malaysia but in their native homeland in Sabah.

4. CALLS on the Federal and Sabah State governments, and where relevent the Selangor State government, to undertake a total transformation of their policies to address and resolve the long-standing political, educational, socio-economic-cultural and citizenship woes of Sabahans, or all the talk of 1-Malaysia and making Sabah as "one of the most live able places and a leading economic region in Asia" will remain empty platter.

5. CALLS for a Royal Commission of Inquiry on how the dreams and aspirations of Sabahans and Sarakawians in forming Malaysia in 1963 had been fulfilled or betrayed in the past five decades.

6. Allow Sabahans and Sarakawians in Semenanjong to vote by postal votes or other ways in general elections to exercise their rights under the Malaysian constitutions.

* Dr Hiew King Cheu, MP for Kota Kinabalu