Latest news with #TerritorialSeaAct2012
The Star
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Tackle Sabah's issues instead of bickering over seats, SAPP tells parties
KOTA KINABALU: As political parties scramble for seats ahead of the Sabah state election, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) has called them out for seeming to ignore issues affecting the people. The party said voters deserve to hear concrete plans on autonomy, land reforms, and Sabah's rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) – not just endless negotiations over who gets to contest where. SAPP president Datuk Yong Teck Lee said many Sabahans, himself included, still have no idea what some political parties and leaders are fighting for. ALSO READ: Sabah polls: State parties risk becoming 'dogs chasing cars', says SAPP president 'So far, the politicians talk only about seats, seats and more seats. How about talking about the issues for the coming Sabah elections? "Don't be like dogs chasing cars without any idea of what to do after catching up with the car," he reiterated in a statement on Tuesday (May 27). Yong, who was Sabah chief minister from 1996 to 1998, asked if these parties were willing to take firm stands on issues in the state, such as issuing Sabah identity cards to bona fide Malaysian citizens and the demand for Labuan to be returned to Sabah. He also highlighted the lack of political will to fight for the restoration of one-third of parliamentary seat representation to Sabah and Sarawak, saying this was fundamental to restoring balance within the federation. He further criticised the silence of major political blocs, including those in Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional, on the 40% net revenue entitlement and the Territorial Sea Act 2012. ALSO READ: Introduce a 'Sabah IC' to settle citizenship issues for good, says ex-CM Yong 'Which party will fearlessly champion that the 40% net revenue claim is RM2.6bil per annum?' he asked. Yong also questioned the continued reliance on Peninsular Malaysian companies for infrastructure and services in Sabah. 'Is Sabah so incapable of making simple things like kiosks? What do we have KKIP (Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park) for?' he said. He urged political leaders to stop treating Sabah as a battleground for seats and instead prove they are serious about reforms that matter to ordinary Sabahans.
Borneo Post
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Borneo Post
SAPP slams Sabah PH-BN over ‘negotiation excuse'
KOTA KINABALU (May 15): Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Supreme Council member cum Vice Youth chief Yong Yit Jee has slammed Sabah's PH-BN coalition for their silence on oil and gas lawsuits, while Sarawak aggressively challenges federal laws – dismissing UPKO/PBRS' claims of securing Sabah's rights as empty rhetoric. 'While Sarawak fights tooth and nail in court, Sabah PH-BN hides behind the excuse of 'good relations' as our resources get plundered,' Yong said, detailing how the Petroleum Development Act 1974 (PDA1974) and Territorial Sea Act 2012 (TSA2012) have systematically eroded Sabah and Sarawak's MA63 rights. The criticism comes amid Sabah NGO SABAR's landmark legal challenge against TSA2012 – a case that the Sabah State Government through Chief Minister has confirmed that Sabah does not recognise TSA2012. 'UPKO and PBRS claim to be bridges to Putrajaya? More like pipelines draining Sabah's wealth straight to Kuala Lumpur,' Yong, a lawyer, fired. Despite UPKO and PBRS boasting about resolving 13 MA63 issues, Yong retorted: 'Sarawak sues while Sabah PH-BN settles for empty smiles at negotiation tables.' The SAPP leader specifically called out UPKO's federal minister Datuk Ewon Benedick: 'No effort to amend PDA1974 in Cabinet. No sign of the 40% revenue formula promised by July 2024. We're now in May 2025 – where's the formula? where's our money?' referencing Ewon's September 2023 announcement. Yong challenged UPKO and PBRS to prove their commitment by pressuring the federal government to drop its appeal against the Sabah Law Society's case on Sabah's 40% revenue rights. SAPP, with a decades-long record of fighting PDA1974, TSA2012 and for the 40% tax revenue – including opposing the giveaway of oil-rich Blocks L and M to Brunei – now demands Sabah PH-BN declare their true allegiance: 'Will they remain federal puppets, or finally stand with Sarawak to reclaim Sabah's full MA63 rights?' Ewon and PBRS president Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup have recently issued a joint statement stating that as members of the current national political coalition, their parties see themselves as 'Sabah's bridge to Putrajaya,' working alongside other parties to consistently raise key issues affecting the state, including the MA63. 'The 'Sabah First' struggle requires cooperation among all political parties in the state. This must be achieved through wise and consultative engagement between the federal and state governments, not through confrontation,' they said. Ewon and Arthur added that both UPKO and PBRS have raised numerous Sabah-related issues through their coalition platforms, including at the Cabinet level which they said has proven effective, with nine MA63-related demands fulfilled under the current federal government, while four were resolved under the previous administration.
