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Borneo Herald
5.31AM MYT, 23-11-2025
By Ahmad Jais Otong
I refer to the statement made by the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, Tan Sri Johari Abdul, who claimed that “no one is denied opportunities” and that Sabah can succeed if its people are “brave and hardworking.”
Such a statement is not only shallow — it insults the intelligence of Sabahans.
Johari came to Sabah praising our mountains, our seas, our culture — yet deliberately stayed silent on how Sabah’s wealth is siphoned away every year by the federal government.
Who is Johari trying to fool?
1. SABAH HAS OIL, GAS, AND RESOURCES — BUT PUTRAJAYA TAKES EVERYTHING.
WHEN SABAH IS POOR, THE PEOPLE ARE BLAMED.
This is not merely injustice — this is a systematic robbery.
Facts:
95% of Sabah’s petroleum revenue does not return to Sabah.
Sabah’s right to 40% net revenue has been “missing” for decades.
Taxes, royalties, and natural resource revenues from Sabah flow to Malaya — not to schools, roads, hospitals, or job creation in Sabah.
So when Johari says “those who work hard will succeed,” it places blame on Sabahans for poverty that was engineered by federal policies.
2. SABAH IS NOT POOR BECAUSE THE PEOPLE ARE NOT WORKING HARD — SABAH IS POOR BECAUSE THE MALAYAN SYSTEM CRUSHES US FROM ABOVE.
Johari can talk about “positivity” and “vertical mobility,” but the reality is:
Sabah youths cannot climb the ladder of success because Putrajaya has already sawed off the ladder.
Look at Sabah today:
Village roads broken for decades.
Schools dilapidated and dangerous.
Water is dirty, smelly, and frequently disrupted.
And now constant electricity blackouts have become a daily routine. Homes go dark, businesses lose money, appliances get damaged — all in a state that produces energy and is rich in natural resources!
Hospitals lack specialists.
Job opportunities are limited.
Wages are low.
This is not the people’s failure.
This is the failure of a federal system that neglects Sabah.
3. CORRUPTION AMONG SABAH LEADERS THRIVES BECAUSE THERE IS A “POLITICAL UMBRELLA” FROM PUTRAJAYA.
Johari dares not mention the most crucial fact:
Major corruption in Sabah exists because of political cooperation and protection from Malaya.
For decades:
hundred-year timber concessions were granted recklessly,
mineral-rich lands were sold cheaply to cronies,
direct-award projects were abused,
major cases were buried,
state land and GLCs were plundered,
because certain Sabah leaders and federal leaders shared mutual political interests.
4. SABAH YOUTH DO NOT NEED HYPOCRITICAL MOTIVATIONAL TALKS.
Johari came with the usual script:
“Be brave.”
“Stay positive.”
“Have discipline.”
But he refuses to admit that:
Sabah’s wealth is siphoned off,
Sabah’s powers are weakened,
Sabah’s rights are denied,
and Sabah’s basic infrastructure (water & electricity) is still unresolved,
leaving Sabahans trapped in an artificially backward environment.
This is not a problem of attitude.
This is a problem of federal injustice.
5. SABAH IS NOT POOR. SABAH IS IMPOVERISHED.
Johari praises Sabah’s “potential,” but that is not praise.
It is an admission that:
Sabah is actually rich — but its wealth does not remain in Sabah. It is sent elsewhere.
And Sabahans are then told to “work harder” to fix damage caused by federal policies?
This is an insult.
CONCLUSION
I want to deliver a firm message to Johari and any federal leader:
Do not come to Sabah to give motivational lectures while the federal government continues to rob our resources and fails to provide clean water and stable electricity to our people.
Sabahans are not lazy.
Sabahans are not lacking effort.
Sabahans are not lacking potential.
What Sabah lacks is justice — and leaders who dare defend Sabah instead of bowing to Putrajaya.
Warisan will continue to speak up.
Warisan will continue to demand Sabah’s rights.
Warisan will never bow.
Sabah is ours.
We will reclaim it.
SAVE SABAH!!!
Ahmad Jais Otong is Warisan Candidate for Karambunai, and is also the Deputy Division Chief, Warisan Sepanggar#~Borneo Herald™
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