Media statement by Dr. Hiew King Cheu in Kota Kinabalu on Saturday, 26^th May 2012:

National parties or local parties for Sabahan

The local parties in Sabah are saying that "Semananjong parties" should stay away from Sabah. Does this mean that UMNO, MCA, MIC and Gerakan have to get out, including the Pakatan Rakyat (PR)? In the real sense, these are National Parties, but the local parties are trying to create a false impression over the issue. It is interesting why they - the local parties never in history tell the BN Semananjong parties to get lost and get out of Sabah except the DAP, PKR and PAS. In Fact, when we look through the history of Sabah Politic, the leaders of these local parties had even been working for the Semananjong Parties and holding important portfolio too.

The so call local parties must contest and win enough seats on their own in the 222 Parliament seats in the Malaysia Federation to make an impact in the Federal government, and stay relevant. Besides, the 60 state assembly seats must be won by them in order for them to make their dreams to become the Chief Minister of Sabah come through. The few Sabah local parties are enthusiastic and thinking of contesting in all the 60 seats and telling the National Parties to make way.

In the past, PBS was in power for about 10 years in the state, and they had been in and out of BN since, and now still with BN. PBS failed to serve the people while they were an opposition party. When failing the people, they took the easy way out to stay within BN. They decided to do this, is for the sake of themselves or for the people? Today they looked very far away from their original objectives when they crashed the Berjaya Party in 1985. They did explain on why rejoining BN, and it is 'to fight within, to correct them from within'. Have they achieved that for the people in Sabah?

We now see very close resemblance in SAPP whose seats were won using the BN symbol. They once held the top post as the Chief Minister (CM) and DCM of Sabah under the BN. Finally, they decided to break away from BN on their own private reasons. While SAPP was holding the CM post, what have they done for the people of Sabah, in any big way? The question is now whether SAPP can win seats on their own, which they had never tried before. Can SAPP be capable in contesting and win majority Parliament seats in order to change things in the Federal Government or in Sabah? It is only through winning enough Parliament seats, and then they can attend to resolve matters in Sabah which includes budgets, policies and laws. The same applies to STAR - a party from Sarawak with nothing to show in the last 16 years in the Sarawak political arena. Can STAR achieve such an ambition in championing for the Sabahan's right in the federal government, and bring along autonomy that they claimed they can achieve?

The people should not be blinded by what is going on now in the run up to the coming 13th general election. There are only two groups of parties that can claim to be federal parties in Malaysia - BN and PR. This is the "Two Parties System" we want and long for! These can make real impact on the state, regional and national policies and resolve matters in the State Assemblies and in the Parliament of Malaysia. The local parties alone are not enough to create an impact throughout Malaysia, because it is local.

So, the only way out for the people is to vote for the party that can resolve matters all the way to the federal level. In the past, there were limitations that Sabah faced difficult to reach to the full attention at the national level. The people's voices became drown in the federal level. Do the people want to repeat history by supporting the small local parties in Sabah in the coming general election, and to forgo the concerted power and effort of the big National Party - Pakatan Rakyat who can positively bring along changes once for all! It is only the Pakatan Rakyat can fight BN, and the small local parties should make way gracefully to pave way for the Sabahan to make their final dreams come through. If, they decided to do so, they will be praised. "Put personal gain and agenda aside, for the sake of the Sabahan", and don't be 'spoilers'!

A lot of people would like straight fights between BN and PR, but the reality in any election is that there will be many candidates who are interested to join in the fray. Whether we like it or not, the choice would be less confusing if we have only two main parties contesting. Malaysians have given BN five decades of almost unquestionable authoritarian rule, do we want to see 5 more years of BN, or we want to see "Change"? It is going to be "PR Vs BN"!

* Dr Hiew King Cheu, MP for Kota Kinabalu