Nothing divisive about ‘Sabah for Sabahans', says state PH chief
Sabah PH chief Ewon Benedick said slogans mattered little if the regular issues faced by Sabahans continue to be unresolved after decades.
PETALING JAYA : Sabah Pakatan Harapan chief Ewon Benedick has rejected Barisan Nasional chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's claim that state-centric slogans like 'Sabah for Sabahans' are divisive.
Ewon said he saw no issue with such slogans and sentiments used by many Sabahans, adding that he, in fact, found it patriotic, Utusan Borneo reported.
'I don't see any issue with slogans being used like 'Sabah for Sabahans', 'Sabah First', 'Sabah is Our Home' and so on.
'As long as it's aimed at fostering unity among Sabahans as well as cooperation and unity with all Malaysians, we should continue them,' the Upko president was quoted as saying.
Ewon believes that local aspirations must be the foundation of any grand coalition in Sabah, but said such an alliance should not be limited to local parties.
Nonetheless, he said, slogans mattered little compared with the ability of the ruling administration to resolve issues faced by Sabahans.
'I'm more inclined to focus on how our political alliances can effectively resolve the issues the people face.
'We can chant our slogans as loud as we want, but if the basic issues the people face still can't be resolved after decades, then it remains as a mere slogan,' he said.
On Monday, Zahid had criticised the 'Sabah for Sabahans' sentiment as divisive and counterproductive, arguing that maintaining close ties with the federal government was key to the state's prosperity and development.
The Umno president drew backlash from Sabah deputy chief minister Jeffrey Kitingan, who said Sabah was never meant to be a subordinate state but an equal partner with Sarawak and Malaya in the federation of Malaysia.
Kitingan also appeared to warn of Sabah possibly leaving the federation, saying this would ultimately be up to Sabahans.
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