P/S: Jangan gelak arr kalau nampak bendera apa tu.
Vote for STAR!
Only STAR Party can protect and bring back the Truly concept of Independence and Sovereign Country!
Sarawak for Sarawakian!
The Spirit of Sarawak for Sarawakian is getting stronger everyday!
Is this Sabah and Sarawak fate?
Sabah and Sarawak were promised to have a Self-Government. But what happen after 50 years forming The Federation of Malaysia?
Sabah 50th Independence Day
Sabah or formerly known as North Borneo was granted an Independence by British on 31 August 1963
Sarawak 50th Independence Day
Sarawak was granted Independence by British on 22 July 1963
Thursday, 19 December 2013
STAR: Lawatan ke kawasan bencana banjir - DATUK DR. JEFFREY KITINGAN
P/S: Jangan gelak arr kalau nampak bendera apa tu.
UNITED BORNEO FRONT: UBF AKAN TERUS BERGERAK MEMBERI ILMU KEPADA RAKYAT - DATUK DR. JEFFREY KITINGAN
“United Borneo Front (UBF) akan terus melaksanakan program pendidikan untuk memberi ilmu kepada rakyat khasnya di Sabah dan Sarawak mengenai sejarah yang benar dan tepat serta hak-hak kemerdekaan Sabah dan Sarawak”, demikian dinyatakan oleh YB Dtk Dr.Jeffrey G.Kitingan sempena ulangtahun ke-3 penubuhan UBF.
YB Dtk Dr.Jeffrey G.Kitingan selaku pengerusi UBF dan ADUN Bingkor turut menjelaskan bahawa walaupun usia UBF baru genap 3 tahun tetapi pencapaiannya amatlah membanggakan.
Beliau juga berpendapat bahawa penambahan kerusi yang dimenang oleh pihak pembangkang di Sabah juga dicapai melalui sumbangan usaha UBF memperkasakan rakyat tentang hak-hak kemerdekaan dan autonomi Sabah dan Sarawak.
Bergerak melalui program “Borneo Tea Party” (BTP), UBF telah Berjaya mengadakan hampir 5,000 BTP di seluruh Sabah sejak dilancarkan pada 16 Disember 2011. Malah BTP juga telah diadakan di merata tempat di Sarawak dan Semenanjung Malaysia. Sebagai rekod istilah BTP diadaptasi dari peristiwa Boston Tea Party (BTP) yang berlaku pada 16 Disember 1773, yang mana telah menyemarakkan semangat nasionalisme di kalangan rakyat Amerika Syarikat dan kemerdekaan Negara itu.
Menjelaskan dengan lebih lanjut, beliau berkata bahawa melalui BTP, rakyat Sabah dan Sarawak khasnya dan rakyat Malayasia amnya didedahkan dengan fakta sejarah yang benar tentang Sabah, proses penubuhan Malaysia, khususnya intipati dalam Perjanjian Malaysia iaitu Artikel VIII dan 20-Perkara. Rakyat juga disedarkan tentang penjajahan minda dan polisi yang tidak adil terhadap Sabah dan Sarawak sejak pembentukan Malaysia pada 16 September 1963.
Menjelang tahun 2014, beliau menegaskan bahawa UBF akan terus bergerak maju memperkasakan rakyat di Sabah dan Sarawak. Untuk itu modul dan kurikulum BTP telah diperkemaskinikan, penambahan latihan kepada para penceramah BTP dan mengaktifkan UBF di seluruh Sabah dan kawasan-kawasan lain.
Pada masa yang sama, UBF akan terus bekerjasama dengan badan-badan NGO yang turut mempunyai misi yang sama, khususnya yang berpaksi kepada Agenda Borneo dan perjuangan memulihkan hak-hak kemerdekaan dan autonomi Sabah dan Sarawak.
Beliau menegaskan bahawa pendidikan sejarah yang tepat akan menyemarakkan solidariti dan semangat cintakan Sabah di kalangan rakyat Malaysia di Sabah tanpa mengira perbezaan agama, kaum dan fahaman politik. Justeru itu dengan sokongan yang sekian bertambah kukuh, beliau mendorong supaya lebih ramai rakyat Sabah, khususnya generasi muda yang tampil berjuang melalui UBF untuk memulihan hak-hak mereka demi masa depan yang lebih cerah untuk mereka dan cucu-cicit mereka.
Bersempena ulangtahun ke-3, UBF telah mengadakan beberapa aktiviti kemasyarakatan termasuk kempen derma darah dan juga suatu acara memperkenangan ulangtahun akan diadakan pada 20hb. Disember 2013 di ibu pejabat UBF di Kota Kinabalu.
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Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan is the Chairman of STAR Sabah and State Assemblymen for N33, Bingkor, Sabah.
He also contested in P180, Keningau garnering 11900 strong votes
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UNITED BORNEO FRONT: UBF to continue efforts to enlighten the people - DATUK DR. JEFFREY KITINGAN
KOTA KINABALU - “The United Borneo Front (UBF) will continue with efforts to with its programs to enlighten the people especially in Sabah and Sarawak on the true and accurate history and the rights and autonomy of the Borneo States” declared Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan in conjunction with the 3rd anniversary of the establishment of UBF.
Dr. Jeffrey who is also the President of UBF and the State Assemblyman for Bingkor further asserted that although UBF has only turned 3 years, its achievements have been commendable.
“The increase in the number of seats won by the opposition in Sabah is also attributable to the efforts of the UBF in enlightening the people of the rights and autonomy of Sabah and Sarawak” added Dr. Jeffrey.
Since its launch on 16 December 2010, UBF has conducted nearly 5,000 Borneo Tea parties (BTPs) throughout Sabah and several locations in Sarawak and the Peninsula. For the record, the BTP is an adaption of the Boston Tea Party organized by the Americans on 16 December 1773 against the then British colonial masters and led to the nationalistic movement amongst Americans and the independence of America.
Dr. Jeffrey further clarified that through the BTPs, the people especially in Sabah and Sarawak are enlightened with the true facts of history on Sabah, the formation of Malaysia in particular the essence of the Malaysia Agreement under Article VIII and the 20-Points. The people are further enlightened regarding the indoctrination of the mind-set and the neo-colonial and unequal policies imposed on Sabah and Sarawak.
Commencing 2014, UBF will step up efforts to empower the people in Sabah and Sarawak with an updated BTP module and curriculum, additional training of BTP coordinators and presenters as well as activating UBF throughout Sabah and other areas.
At the same time, UBF will strengthen its cooperation with other NGOs and other bodies that have the same objectives especially envisioned under the Borneo Agenda and the restoration of the rights and autonomy of Sabah and Sarawak.
Dr. Jeffrey further stressed that the correction of the distortion of the historical facts will further enhance the solidarity and patriotism for Sabah amongst all Malaysians in Sabah regardless of race, religion or political affiliation. With the growing support, the younger generation in Sabah and Sarawak are encouraged to take up the mantle and fight for the restoration of their rights for a better future for them and their children.
In conjunction with its 3rd anniversary, UBF have held several community activities including blood donation campaign as well as a gathering will be held on 20th December 2013 to commemorate the 3rd anniversary at its UBF headquarters in Kota Kinabalu.
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Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan is the Chairman of STAR Sabah and State Assemblymen for N33, Bingkor, Sabah.
He also contested in P180, Keningau garnering 11900 strong votes
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Cancer drugs free of charge - RAJAH RAQAFLUZ
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| Rajah Raqafluz (Pen name) is the admin for "STAR TODAY". Believe in STAR Sarawak and United Borneo Front (UBF), advocate of Borneo Agenda, Friends of the Trust and a firm follower of Harunyahya. |
A manifesto and proposal for a betterment of Sarawakian and should be incorporated into the STAR minute agenda. The Government of Sarawak should be distributing cancer drugs free of charge. Once a patient brings a prescription stating that he/she is a cancer patient, the state should give that drug free of charge. That is what we ask from our Chief Minister of Sarawak Government. The cancer patients should not be made to pay for their medicine.
Say no to sacrificing ties on the altar of politics - RAJAH RAQAFLUZ
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Rajah Raqafluz (Pen name) is the admin for "STAR TODAY". Believe in STAR Sarawak and United Borneo Front (UBF), advocate of Borneo Agenda, Friends of the Trust and a firm follower of Harunyahya.
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Real politic is not based on moral or ideological principles rather it is a system of politics that is based on “material” factors and considerations.
In global politics, countries seek closer ties with one another purely for material gains like access to natural resources, trade routes or for strategic military alliance. It is usually seen that such bonds are very weak. In case one partner is destabilized due to any given reason, the other either turns its back or seeks ways to exploit the situation to its advantage.
Whereas divine teachings stress on the need to make peace with others and “to love thy neighbor.” This approach adds an entirely different dimension to the bonds between countries or individuals. This system does not require any maneuvering as political exigencies take a backseat.
Unlike the former system, the latter promotes a fraternal bond or brotherhood. Political maneuvering based purely on circumstances and material conditions only yields temporary success, as a result of which most of the times only a handful of people are pleased and the rest almost always remain discontent. Political maneuvering only saves the day, and cannot prevent likely future catastrophes. Brotherhood, however, requires you to stand by your brother in good times and bad. In other words, one has to weather the storm with his brother.
Sarawak’s concerns over the situation in Sabah stem from a similar bond that exists between the two countries. The current turmoil in Sabah is a grim reminder of the days of political upheaval in Sarawak. We have gone through a similar phase in our history. Sabah is passing through a crucial phase and needs brotherly advice and help.
Unfortunately, some recent remarks from the Malaya (BN Regime, proxies and NGO extremist) side did not go down well with the Sabahan and Sarawakian. Whatever happened between the two brotherly countries (Sabah and Sarawak) was indeed sad. It is imperative to devise a strategy to resolve the issue without wasting time. It is high time Malaysia federation adopted a policy that is acceptable to all the Malaysian (Sarawakian, Sabahan and Malayan). It should act as a conciliator rather than a partisan.
One has to be fair enough while considering the situation in Sabah and Sarawak. If Barisan Nasional wants pro-Malaya elements to be part of a democratic disposition, it should also consider the valid fears expressed by the opposite camp either Pakatan Rakyat (Pro-Malaya) or United Borneo Front (Pro-Borneo). Anti-Malaya sentiments express by Sabahan and Sarawakian should be listened to in this secular independence state of Sabah and Sarawak. After all, this was the major factor that led to the failure and corrupt practices of democracy in Malaysia within the past 50 year. The BN regime tried various reforms, but what was expected was far more profound and a deep-rooted change.
True “freedom” would have pleased the Sabahan and Sarawakian, who did not, and still do not, want that extremist mindset as the ideology governing their society.
A country can never fight extremist tendencies by adopting coercive measures. Such steps only aggravate the situation and deepen the divide. There is only one solution to this problem: Education.
Only a suitable education policy can help any country to fight extremism. Sarawak could prove to be very helpful in this regard given its past experiences and current achievements. Unlike Malaya, Sarawak must show that Islam is a faith of freedom and democracy, that it encourages arts and science and the solution in true Islam is genuine and permanent peace, rather than conflict. It must start to do that by reconciling the two sides between Sabah and Sarawak for a starter. Sarawak is not a perfect country; but its historic intermediary role means that it has become involved. Sarawak must stand with Sabah as a brother, as a part of it; and this support should not be based on political exigencies.
Borneo brotherhood is never compromised by political gambits. The ties between the two countries (Sabah and Sarawak) have always remained unharmed by similar crisis in the past. The two sides should not allow the current situation harm the eternal bond. Sarawak must seek to embrace all the people of Sabah and their aspirations.
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| Tun Fuad Stephens (Sabah 1st Chief Minister) and Stephen Kalong Ningkan (Sarawak 1st Chief Minister) |
Monday, 16 December 2013
STAR: “New Comprehensive Plan Needed to Tackle Poverty" - DATUK DR. JEFFREY KITINGAN
PRESS STATEMENT-16.12.2013
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Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan is the Chairman of STAR Sabah and State Assemblymen for N33, Bingkor, Sabah.
He also contested in P180, Keningau garnering 11900 strong votes
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“New Comprehensive Plan Needed to Tackle Poverty – Dr. Jeffrey”
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Kota Kinabalu: “The federal and Sabah governments failed again and was given a failing “F” grade by the United Nations which reported that poverty among children in Sabah was the highest in Malaysia where 31% of the children in the state were living in poverty.
It’s extraordinarily high compared to the national average of 9% and more than double that of the next highest Kelantan at 15% with Selangor performing the best with 2%” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief in response to the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) Report “Profile of Children in Malaysia”
It’s extraordinarily high compared to the national average of 9% and more than double that of the next highest Kelantan at 15% with Selangor performing the best with 2%” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief in response to the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) Report “Profile of Children in Malaysia”
The report should be sending SOS warning signals to the Sabah government but unfortunately none of the Umno/BN parties and not a single Sabah Umno/BN leader have dared to say a single word.
“Where is the chest-thumping self-boasting Ministers and the government telling how well they have been doing to tackle poverty in Sabah and reeling off statistics to support their chest-thumping? asked Dr. Jeffrey.
This deafening silence does not augur well for children in Sabah. Lest we forget, in the recent past, a child student committed suicide because of the problems faced by his family’s poverty.
The governments and Ministers right down to the people in Sabah need to shed off their “easy-to-please” mentality and look at problems in the eye and not be deflected by cheap publicity, self-praising and self-serving local reports.
The UNICEF Report is the second report following the PM Department’s own EPU Report that the poverty levels are chronic in Sabah with 53.5% of the abject poor households and 39.3% in the poor household category in the nation while Sarawak accounted for 11.4%and 11.7% respectively.
Saying that we have reduced poverty from such and such a percentage to a lower percentage does not detract from the fact that poverty is still chronic in Sabah.
To digress a bit, the recent boasts of the reduction of SESB’s SAIDI from 2,867 minutes/customer in 2009 to 557 minutes/customer in 2012 and followed by SESB’s boast that the number of complaints on electricity disruptions in Sabah fell six per cent up to November this year from 23,747 complaints compared with 25,298 complaints in the same period last year.
“Whatever the reasons, the SAIDI should be ZERO and complaints on electricity disruptions should be ZERO!” stressed Dr. Jeffrey. “Isn’t 23,747 complaints excessively high?” he added.
Therefore, Sabahans need to change their mindset and not accept blindly what their BN government tells them.
The poverty levels shown by the PM Department’s EPU Report and the UNICEF Report only re-affirms what everyone else in Sabah knows except the ruling Umno/BN government and their Umno/BN leaders.
The Sabah government and their Ministers should now accept their failures in failing to tackle the poverty problem in Sabah and face the problem head-on. They should not wait for another child student to commit suicide, pray that such tragedy do not recur, before taking action.
The Sabah and federal governments should open their hearts and minds and adopt a new and fresh holistic approach and come up with an entirely new and comprehensive plan to tackle poverty in Sabah.
They should no longer use this poverty problem to keep the people poor so as to achieve their political goals. To tackle the poverty problem whole-heartedly, they should invite people across the political divide including the opposition members to form a bi-partisan State Assembly Select Committee to help formulate the new comprehensive plan and to oversee the government programs to resolve the poverty problems in Sabah.
Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan
Chairman, STAR Sabah
16 December 2013
Sunday, 15 December 2013
STAR SABAH: Build Monorail Not Tram - DATUK DR. JEFFREY KITINGAN
Build Monorail Not Tram – Dr. Jeffrey
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Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan is the Chairman of STAR Sabah and State Assemblymen for N33, Bingkor, Sabah.
He also contested in P180, Keningau garnering 11900 strong votes
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If the federal government refuses to fund the KKMR, the Sabah MPs just need to take a simple step to leave the Umno/BN coalition. By just leaving, the Umno/BN and the Pakatan Rakyat leaders will be sending a VVIP delegation with a RM15 billion cheque to fund the KKMR to persuade the Sabah MPs to join in a new federal government. That is the power of Sabah and Sarawak and the leaders from Sabah should leverage on this for the benefit of our beloved Sabah Tanah Airku and not just allow our oil and gas to be siphoned anymore.
Image“The Sabah government should build a new Monorail transport system in Kota Kinabalu and not just sweet-talk the people with promises of building public transport systems to alleviate the growing and snarling traffic jams especially during rush-hours but with no concrete action beingtaken” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief in response to the Minister of Industrial Development’s statement of considering the building of trams for Kota Kinabalu during the courtesy visit by the new Counsel and Vice-Counsels from China recently.
The Umno/BN government owes the people a social responsibility as the government of the day and as part of this responsibility, they need to address the social needs of the growing population especially in Kota Kinabalu.
This responsibility is not better said than by the Chief Minister himself who last week said that the government will make all cities in Sabah “liveable” cities. And all growing cities need to solve the ever-present traffic congestion problems.
However, the Chief Minister and his government need to put words into action to make Kota Kinabalu a “more liveable” city.
This is more so in the case of Sabah which is a world-renown tourist destination with a growing and thriving tourism industry with yearly increasing tourist arrivals. We should not be putting off foreign tourists from visiting Kota Kinabalu again due to bad traffic jams.
Building 2 or 3 more flyovers, although they are badly needed especially in Inanam and the intersections along Jalan Lintas in the city, may reduce traffic jams but they do not resolve the problem long term.
“What is needed for Kota Kinabalu is a good public transportation system!” stressed Dr. Jeffrey.
A monorail public transport system is a proven system. If not, there is no reason for the federal government to invest RM36 billion to build the Greater Klang Valley Monorail Transit System.
The Kota Kinabalu Monorail can link the Kota Kinabalu city centre to major centres in 1 Borneo, University Malaysia Sabah, KKIP, Karambunai Nexus and Sepanggar and back to Donggongon and Putatan and include stops at Likas Hospital, Museum, Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the Kota Kinabalu International Airport.
The construction and building of the Kota Kinabalu Monorail will create a further boost to the local economy. This economic vibrancy will also generate new employment and business opportunities and at the same time transform Kota Kinabalu into a modern and progressive city.
Funding the Kota Kinabalu Monorail or KKMR should not be an issue.
If Putrajaya can finance RM36 billion for the Greater Klang Valley Monorail Transit, there is no reason for the federal government NOT to finance up to RM12 to RM15 billion to build the KKMR.
Sabah will be contributing an additional RM8.70 billion in oil and gas revenue to Petronas and the federal government in 2014 increasing from RM17.88 billion in 2012 to RM26.60 billion in 2014. It is expected that this oil and gas revenue will further increase to more than RM50 billion in 2015/2016.
If the federal government refuses to fund the KKMR, the Sabah MPs just need to take a simple step to leave the Umno/BN coalition. By just leaving, the Umno/BN and the Pakatan Rakyat leaders will be sending a VVIP delegation with a RM15 billion cheque to fund the KKMR to persuade the Sabah MPs to join in a new federal government. That is the power of Sabah and Sarawak and the leaders from Sabah should leverage on this for the benefit of our beloved Sabah Tanah Airku and not just allow our oil and gas to be siphoned anymore.
Saturday, 14 December 2013
Newly register political parties: Rebuilding Sarawak-based opposition front
Rajah Raqafluz (Pen name) is the admin for "STAR TODAY". Believe in STAR Sarawak and United Borneo Front (UBF), advocate of Borneo Agenda, Friends of the Trust and a firm follower of Harunyahya.
There has not been much movement from Parti Ekonomi Rakyat Sarawak Bersatu (PERSB), Parti Bumi Kenyalang, Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru (PBDS Baru), People’s Alliance for Justice of Peace (Peace Party) and Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras) in the last three months. |
| Rajah Raqafluz (Pen name) is the admin for "STAR TODAY". Believe in STAR Sarawak and United Borneo Front (UBF), advocate of Borneo Agenda, Friends of the Trust and a firm follower of Harunyahya. |
With the current political landscape, I don’t see these new parties getting the support from people of Sarawakian, either in the rural areas or urban areas.
Political analyst, Dr Jeniri Amir said that:
“Basically, these parties need support from rural voters because in the urban areas there is no way the Chinese or the middle class will support these mosquito parties.
“There is no light at the end of the tunnel for these five new parties,” he stated.
The analyst noted that Sarawak’s political landscape was heading towards a two- party system but the emergence of these five new parties was not really good for the scenario.
While the increase in political players is good for democracy, it splits and diluted the support for opposition parties, Jeniri added.
Rajah Raqafluz political analysis:
However, because of the political landscape was heading towards a two-party system where the other parties of opposition are Malaya-based parties (PR), it was an actually ingenious move and covert operation for Sarawakian politician landscape.
These scenarios actually opening up a new political landscape where these new parties in the future will make an allegiance either to become BN-friendly parties, PR-friendly parties or UBF-friendly parties. And the last alternatives, standing alone by their own.
The good thing about these new parties registrations is that the formation of opposition parties in Sarawak will increase as well which will become a rival for Malaya-based parties such as PKR, PAS and DAP. These new parties will strengthen the opposition voice of Sarawakian itself by rejecting the Malaya-based opposition parties either they're in the government front or opposition front.
These healthy environments where opposition voices will also consist of Sarawakians instead of Malaya proxies of PKR, PAS and DAP as being dictate currently in the political landscape, is good especially in the long run for the protection of Sarawak sovereignty from foreign power and puppet masters such as Malaya.
This is a hard lesson from Sarawak counter-part in Sabah, where politician have become merely a puppets led by Umno from Malaya-based parties.
This situation, where Malaya-based parties (PR) become dominant will not blend well with the Sarawakian especially for the long run of political progress in this biggest country of Sarawak in the Malaysia federation.
After all, all politicians, political analyst, scholars and Sarawakian alike should always remember that Malaysia is a federation of Sarawak, Sabah and Malaya.
Sarawak sovereignty must be protected on all fronts, at whatever cost it should be. And this time, opposition front should be protected from Malaya-based parties of PKR, PAS and DAP.
Sarawak for Sarawakians. Vote for Sarawak-based parties only.
Friday, 13 December 2013
Kennedy School Graduate Held Prisoner - DATUK DR. JEFFREY KITINGAN
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Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan is the Chairman of STAR Sabah and State Assemblymen for N33, Bingkor, Sabah.
He also contested in P180, Keningau garnering 11900 strong votes
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Kennedy School Graduate Held Prisoner
The Malaysian government is charging Jeffrey G. Kitingan with sedition and corruption. But the free Far East press and human rights groups say the Sabahan government official is a political prisoner.
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Many people associate a Harvard education with a bright future. Some Harvard graduates lead corporations; some win Nobel prizes; some become world leaders.
But for one, the future may lie in a jail cell.
Jeffrey G. Kitingan, a 1981 graduate of the Kennedy School of Government and a 1984 graduate of the Harvard-Tufts Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, is currently being held in a Malaysian jail. He is being charged with corruption and sedition by the peninsular Malaysian Kuala Lumpur (KL) government.
The KL government says it had a valid reason to arrest Kitingan, but the free Far East press and human rights groups such as Asia Watch believe he and possibly his brother, the chief minister of their native Sabah, to be political prisoners.
Harvard's John Fairbanks Center is currently working with the KL government to study the country's economic development and related social issues.
Kitingan was attempting to institute broad political and social reforms in his native Malaysian state of Sabah, according to Asia Watch.
Asia Watch is part of Human Rights Watch, an umbrella organization that targets countries known to violate human rights.
The State of Sabah
Sabah, once a British colony, joined with mainland Malaysia in 1963 to form a coalition government known as the National Front.
Sabah joined the coalition under a 20-point agreement that gave it some degree of autonomy over such areas as language, education, religion and finance, according the Far East Economic Review, a magazine which focuses on economic and related issues of that region.
"Sabah understood the guarantees to be in perpetuity," according to the magazine. "Federal leaders saw them as a transitory arrangement which would eventually fade away, leaving Sabah...with the same status as the [12] other states in the federation."
But Sabah's status began to change, culminating in the 1976 rewording of the 20-point agreement. Sabah was demoted from one of three major components of the National Front to just another state among the 13 in the federation.
Located on the island of Borneo, Sabah differs socially and culturally from mainland Malaysia. The state is largely composed of non-Muslim Malays, while the peninsular Malaysian population is 57 percent Muslim Malay.
Sabah went through a number of governments from 1963 to 1985 as its relations with peninsular Malaysia worsened. In 1985, the Berjaya party, composed of Malaysian Muslims sympathetic to the KL, was defeated by the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS).
The PBS, until recently part of the National Front, advocates greater autonomy for Sabah, saying the state should have more control over its resources and their development as well as a more democratic form of government. The party is dominated by the Christian Katazans.
Under the PBS, Sabah's new chief minister was Joseph P. Kitingan--Jeffrey Kitingan's brother. Kitingan himself became director of Sabah's Institute for Development Studies and director of the Sabah Foundation, responsible for investing Sabahan timber earnings and developing natural resources.
Timber production is the dominant industry in Sabah. The chief minister has traditionally allocated timber concessions, using his position to accumulate money and power. In addition, Sabah is rich in oil and mineral resource.
The Kitingans were at the forefront of those demanding more equality for Sabah in the form of redistribution of revenue from Sabahan resources, such as changing Sabah's off-shore oil drilling profit share from five percent to 50 percent.
The KL government, headed by Prime Minister Sari Mahathir, saw Sabahan requests for more autonomy as a threat. Tensions between the local Sabahan government and the KL government escalated as the KL government began to pressure the Kitingans, major players in the PBS.
In early 1990, Jeffrey Kitingan was arrested on charges of corruption. Despite the charges, Kitingan held on to his positions and witnessed his party's reelection in July 1990 on a platform of greater Sabahan autonomy.
Following the elections, the PBS withdrew from the National Front in October 1990, joining the opposition. The KL government responded by vowing to introduce competing Muslim Malay parties in Sabah.
Then, at the beginning of 1991, the KL government arrested Joseph Kitingan on charges of corruption. Several months later, Jeffrey Kitingan was arrested again, this time with six others said for plotting to separate Sabah from the Malaysian federation. Joseph Kitingan's status is at present unknown.
Since then, Jeffrey Kitingan has been in jail. He calls the multiple charges "political persecution," according to Far East Economic Review.
The Role of Religion
Observers say they are unclear how large a role religion plays in tensions between Sabah and pennisular Malaysia but say it is a factor. Although the mainland has a strong Muslim population and government, most Sabahans are non-Muslim. The PBS is dominated by the Christian Kadazans, and the Kitingans are both Roman Catholic.
Ambassador Leonard S. Unger '39 says he feels that, "The government in Kuala Lumpur...took measures to prevent local Christian officials from exercising authority...and did everything [it could] to discredit them. If there was to be a Christian government, they wanted to keep it under their thumbs."
An anonymous source, who is an expert on South East Asian politics, says the Malay government is becoming more fundamentalist. "There is a group of hunters and gatherers on the Malay peninsula, the Orangasli, that have their own religion. I've heard that officials have said, 'Once they become Muslim, our work is done,'" he says.
"Malaysia's a Muslim country and is growing more fundamentalist," says Charles H. Abelmann, a friend of the Kitingans. "The federal government doesn't like having a Christian state in a Muslim government."
Kitingan's 1991 arrest was under the Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows the government's security officials to arrest anyone posing a security threat without a warrant, according to Asia Watch.
"Those arrested can be detained for 60 days without charge or review, and the Minister of Home Affairs has the authority to extend the detention orders for up to two years, renewable indefinitely," said Asia Watch in a 1991 article on Malaysia detainees.
The ISA, effective since 1960, was originally intended to deter Communist insurgency. Tunku Abdul Rahman, prime minister at the time of Malaysia's formation, pledged that "the immense powers given to the government under the ISA would never be used to stifle legitimate opposition and silence lawful dissent," according to Asia Watch.
However, many charge that the ISA is being used exactly for these purposes in Sabah. Washington, D.C. director of Asia Watch Mike Jendrzejczyk says, "We believe that these arrests are in violation of international rights prohibiting arbitrary arrest and protecting the right to freedom of expression."
"Asia Watch has urged the Malaysian government to free the ISA detainees and to review the law as a step towards repealing it," he says.
In 1989, the ISA was amended by the Malaysian parliament, prohibiting courts from hearing habeas corpus petitions by ISA prisoners. Consequently, Kitingan can be held in jail indefinitely.
Mahathir, who doubles as the home affairs minister, is in charge of administering the ISA. Asia Watch reports that he "has acknowledged that the [amendment] was intended to strengthen the hand of the executive personnel, lest they become too 'wary' of detaining people under the ISA."
People familiar with the Kitingans and their recent arrests say they believe the two brothers were trying to improve Sabah through reforms.
"This guy is a crusader. He does everything for the people of Sabah," says Abelmann. "Unfortunately, in his position of advocating states' rights, he goes a little overboard...He's extremely motivated for his cause."
Abelmann lived with the Kitingans in 1989-90 as a worker in the People Development Program of the Yayasan Sabah Foundation, headed by Jeffrey Kitingan.
Kitingan was concerned about Sabah's control over its own resources and its own destiny, says Abelmann. "What you have here is a wealthy state with lots of natural resources that has become a poor state. The rate of development hasn't been what it should based on Sabah's natural resources."
Unger, who was one of Kitingan's professors at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, says he concurs with Abelmann's opinion. Unger says of his former pupil, "He was a good student [who] had more first-hand knowledge. He had good academic preparation, [but] was very lively and interested in the topic, not a bookish type at all. That doesn't mean that he didn't read and think about his country."
Unger, who was instrumental in the founding of the South East Asia Treaty Organization, says "Jeffrey was looking for an extension of democratic principles in a country with limited experience of democracy. He [attempted to] improve the rural situation by introducing new crops and... irrigation improvements." Unger says he served as an unofficial advisor to Kitingan.
The anonymous source, who is also familiar with the Kitingans, described the pre-Kitingan governments as being "extremely corrupt." Under Joseph, Sabah had its first modern government in which party politics were "not based on religion or ethnicity," says the source, who is familiar with Sabahan politics.
"You can't be a politician there without corruption...bribes...payoffs...this is the way that politics are run out there," he says.
"The Kitingans, to me, run a clean government," the source says. "Why weren't previous governments who were scandalously corrupt brought up on charges? The corruption was incredible."
What is to Come?
Jeffrey Kitingan and some of his supporters are currently in jail awaiting trial. But their future and the future of their country is uncertain, says the source. "No one knows what's going on over there," he says.
The situation is "nasty," says the source. "Jeffrey is in detention. The federal prosecutor...needs testimony from people in Hong Kong [to strengthen the KL's case]."
The KL government is attempting to build part of its case in the Hong Kong courts. But Kitingan supporters are asking people to testify before the Hong Kong courts and say that the KL case is politically motivated.
Hong Kong does not allow testimony about politically instigated charges on its territory. "The issue now is can enough information be provided to Hong Kong court to show that these are politically motivated charges?" says the source.
The source adds, "If [the government] overthrow[s] PBS by attempts to press charges against major figures of the [local] government and if [it] continue[s] to harass native leaders and the native government personally with threats of the ISA, so that people are unable to speak freely of their opinions, it hearkens a return to a more authoritative regime under the thumbs of the central government."
"It confounds me that there are so few people in America concerned with these human rights violations in Malaysia," the source concludes.
Credits: The Harvard Crimson
