Borneo Herald
8.45AM MYT, 19-11-2025
KOTA KINABALU : Warisan candidate for Bingkor, Benedict Martin Gunir, today criticised caretaker chief minister Datuk Hajiji Noor for suggesting that Sabah should “avoid conflict” with Putrajaya.
Benedict said Hajiji’s statement reflects a leadership that has become too comfortable with federal dominance and is increasingly unwilling to defend Sabah’s constitutional rights.
“Leadership is not about avoiding conflict. It is about having the courage to stand firm when Sabah’s rights are being violated,” Benedict said. “For too long, the GRS administration has mistaken obedience for diplomacy.”
1. “Avoiding Conflict” Is a Convenient Excuse for Weak Leadership
Hajiji claims that Sabah cannot afford to strain ties with Putrajaya. But Benedict said such statements only reveal a fear-based, dependent mindset — one that benefits federal politicians but leaves Sabah perpetually powerless.
“If asserting Sabah’s constitutional rights is considered ‘conflict’, then Hajiji is admitting he is not capable of negotiating as an equal partner in Malaysia,” Benedict said.
“MA63 did not create Sabah as a junior state. It created Sabah as one of three founding entities of Malaysia. Any chief minister who is afraid to speak firmly is failing in his oath of office.”
2. The ‘40% Negotiation’ Announced Yesterday Is Just Another Pre-Election Gimmick
Benedict also blasted the Federal and Sabah Governments for claiming to have “begun negotiations” on the 40% net revenue entitlement yesterday.
“This sudden rush to announce negotiations — right after massive backlash over the partial appeal — is nothing more than another round of political theatre,” he said.
“Where were these so-called negotiations for the past four years under GRS? Why now? Why only after being exposed in court and condemned by Sabahans?”
He added:
“Sabah’s 40% entitlement is not something to be ‘negotiated’ every election cycle. It is a constitutional duty. It is not optional. It is not political candy.”
3. The Real Issue Is the Federal Government’s Failure to Honour the Constitution — Not Sabahans Being ‘Unfriendly’
Hajiji accused past administrations of being confrontational. Benedict responded:
“Sabah was never ‘confrontational’. Sabah was merely asserting what is already written in the Federal Constitution. If Putrajaya considers that confrontational, then the problem lies with Putrajaya, not with Sabah.”
He added that Malaysia cannot claim to be a federation if one partner must remain silent to prove loyalty.
“You cannot demand silence, submission, and obedience — and then call it ‘good relations’,” he said. “That is not cooperation. That is political domination.”
4. Sabah’s Development Has Been Stalled Because Leaders Refuse to Demand What Is Owed
Hajiji argues that conflict will stall development. Benedict said this narrative is completely backwards.
“Development stalled because Sabah never received the 40% revenue it was entitled to. Development stalled because Sabah leaders kept bowing and begging instead of demanding.”
He added that roads, bridges, water supply, schools, and hospitals have been neglected for decades not because Sabah fought Putrajaya — but because Sabah tolerated Putrajaya’s neglect for far too long.
5. Anwar’s ‘Concern’ Does Not Replace Sabah’s Legal Rights
Benedict welcomed any federal leader who respects Sabah’s rights but rejected the idea that personal assurances from any Prime Minister can substitute constitutional guarantees.
“Caring is not enough. Compliance with the Constitution is the true test of sincerity.
Sabah does not need sympathy; Sabah needs the 40% revenue, oil rights, and full autonomy that were agreed upon in 1963.”
6. Sabah Needs Leaders Who Dare to Speak Truth, Not Leaders Who Fear Losing Federal Favour
Benedict said the upcoming state election will determine whether Sabah continues under a leadership that “walks on eggshells around Putrajaya,” or whether Sabah chooses a government brave enough to renegotiate Malaysia on equal footing.
“A Chief Minister’s job is not to keep Putrajaya happy. It is to protect Sabah.
A Chief Minister must be loyal to Sabah first — always.
If that loyalty is called conflict, then so be it.”
Benedict urged Sabahans, especially in Bingkor and the interior, to reject fear-based politics.
“Sabah must never again be governed by people who fear displeasing the federal government.
We need leaders who fear only one thing — failing the people of Sabah.”#~Borneo Herald™
No comments:
Post a Comment