#leiking

New Post has been published on http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2015/02/24/racial-and-religious-politics-has-crept-into-sabahs-political-system-says-leiking/

Racial and religious politics has crept into Sabah's political system, says Leiking

KOTA KINABALU, Feb 24, 2015: 

A PKR lawmaker has poured cold water on claims by former Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak that the people would reject those who played the race and religion card.

Penampang Member of Parliament Darell Leiking said this was because of late, Sabahans had seen how racial and religious politics had crept into the state’s political system.

He added that Sabahans were now suspicious of each other, citing complaints that many of the positions occupied in the civil service were not merit-based but a “preferred demography or even religion”.

The PKR vice-president also said that the ideal that Sabahans were a non-racial and non-religious-inclined society was gone as the people had submitted themselves to the dividing forces prominent in Peninsular Malaysia.

For Sabah to stand tall, Leiking advised the people to look into how divided current society was and not be bothered by the different races and religions.

“We should seriously stand firm and not allow ourselves to be dictated by any discriminatory agenda, suspicions or political divide.

“We must reset ourselves into a truly multiracial Sabah which we once were,” he told The Rakyat Post.

He, however, admitted that Salleh’s comments were interesting as he was an Umno member, a party Leiking said were adamant about Malay rights and had used Islam for its political existence.

Salleh, in his blog posting yesterday, claimed any party that played the race and religion card would be rejected by voters.

This, he added, was why West Malaysian-style politics was not welcome in Sabah.

Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee, on the other hand, said that Sabah and Sarawak had always been harmonious societies that rejected racialist or religious extremism.

“Seeing the increasingly ugly polarisation along racial and religious lines in the peninsula, Sabahans are becoming more self-conscious of their own identity as Sabahans.

New Post has been published on http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2015/01/26/sabah-lawmaker-push-special-committee-review-malaysia-agreement/

Sabah lawmaker to push for special committee to review Malaysia Agreement

KOTA KINABALU, Jan 26, 2015:

A Sabah lawmaker is urging fellow parliamentarians to support a proposal to establish a special committee to review the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

Penampang Member of Parliament Darell Leiking, in making the call, said he would be resubmitting a motion for the setting up of the committee when Parliament convenes.

Leiking first submitted the motion in Parliament two years ago, but it was rejected as it was not considered an urgent matter.

He was responding on the Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail’s recent statement on the position of Sabah within the Federation of Malaysia.

Gani also called for a proper and rational discussion as to whether all the safeguards intended to protect the interests of East Malaysian states, prior to formation of Malaysia, had been properly observed.

Leiking said it was important to attend to the root causes as to why disgruntled Sabahans and Sarawakians were talking about secession these days.

The PKR politician believed the current discontent was due to sentiments that Sabah and Sarawak had been grossly marginalised all these years.

With the A-G’s suggestion for discussion on the issue, Leiking said there was an urgency to take another look at the Malaysia Agreement 1963, especially when there were so many issues being raised by Sabah and Sarawak nationalists.

“By doing so, we will be able to conclude whether the Federation of Malaysia today is what Sabah and Sarawak had aspired it to be in 1963.”

Leiking pointed out that more Sabahans were now talking about the marginalisation of Sabah, with some local politicians even complaining about the state’s poor conditions in their speeches during the tabling of the federal Budget in Parliament.

“If Sabah’s BN MPs themselves are complaining, what more of the ordinary Sabahans on the street?

“So how could the BN-led federal government be oppressive towards the ordinary Sabahans who are merely voicing out their displeasure with how Sabah is being treated?”

He said the establishment of this Special Committee, which was promised to be formed every 10 years from the date of formation of Malaysia, would have been able to conduct the review and ascertain which parts of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and its Annexures had not been fulfilled or performed.

Had Parliament allowed the Special Committee be established in the first place and let the opinions of these nationalist groups from Sabah and Sarawak be heard through this committee, Leiking said he was certain that there would be no talk of secession now.

“Unless it is the intention of West Malaysia to colonise Sabah and Sarawak, let me state here that being equal partners, no one is higher than Sabah and Sarawak.

New Post has been published on http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2014/07/11/bung-speak-sabahans/

'Bung does not speak for Sabahans'

KUALA LUMPUR, July 11:

Darell Leiking wants to reassure West Malaysians and Sarawakians that unlike Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin, Sabahans are cultured people who respected all.

In bemoaning the controversial tweets by Bung, a fellow Sabahan, the Penampang Member of Parliament said that the former’s actions was not a reflection of all Sabahans.

“He is alone in this matter,” Leiking told The Rakyat Post.

Bung drew flak from various quarters, including the German ambassador to Malaysia. He also made international headlines when he tweeted: “Well done. Bravo. Long live Hitler” after Germany thrashed Brazil in the World Cup semi-finals on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak also reprimanded the Kinabatangan Member of Parliament for saluting the fallen German dictator, responsible for the Holocaust in World War II.

Bung later today called Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh Deo a “big monkey” after the latter uploaded an image of Bung with the caption reading, “My dad called this man Bigfoot. He’s certainly living up to his reputation!”

In declaring his disbelief that someone from Sabah could have such thoughts, Leiking said Bung should listen to his leader even if the latter did not want to follow his conscience.

“He should not do any more damage to the state.

“Sure he is embarrassing himself, but the stigma is there when Sabah is equated with him,” the PKR deputy secretary-general said when contacted.

Leiking added Sabahans would not call people monkeys.

New Post has been published on http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2014/01/18/take-over-sesb-to-stop-power-outages-sabah-govt-urged/

Take over SESB to stop power outages, Sabah govt urged

Penampang Member of Parliament Darell Leiking says the weekly power cuts had led Sabahans to joke that SESB stood for ‘Sabah Electricity Selalu Blackout’.[/caption]

KUALA LUMPUR

Penampang Member of Parliament Darell Leiking has called on the Sabah government to reclaim full control of Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB), following Friday’s massive blackout in the state and Labuan.

Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) holds an 80% share in SESB, with the state government retaining the remaining stake.

Following frequent mini power outages and Friday’s state-wide blackout, which left half a million without electricity, Leiking suggested that Sabah emulate Sarawak in  electricity ownership.

“When Sabahans take full control of the operation, they will empathise better with the locals and will be more dedicated in ensuring better quality of power supply. Improvements will then be made,” he told The Rakyat Post.

Some 500,000 Sabahans, including those residing in Labuan, went without electricity from 11am. The outage disrupted many government counter services and some hospitals were reported to have cancelled scheduled surgeries.

The blackout also caused a massive jam. Local newspaper, the Daily Express, reported that a man in his 30s was trapped in a lift at a shopping complex and had to be rescued by firemen.

This wasn’t the first time Sabah had endured such a situation. The last state-wide power failure occurred little more than three months ago.

Power cuts, like the one yesterday, Leiking said, were “embarrassing”, especially for the tourism industry.

While the deputy PKR secretary-general said that there must be a reason why TNB took over SESB in the first place, the people of Sabah expected better supply of power.

“How can we go through this? I have not experienced any such blackouts in Peninsular Malaysia.”