More state seats to local party for autonomy

KOTA KINABALU, September 18, 2012: Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) has expressed its intention to contest the state seats in Kota Kinabalu and Penampang as well as the Sepanggar parliamentary seat.

"At the moment, pending further discussion with other opposition parties, we are focusing on the state seats in the Kota Kinabalu, Penampang and Sepanggar including Api Api …and of course the parliament seats of Sepanggar which is our incumbent," said President Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee.

"We have intention to contest and will continue to prepare to strengthen our machinery in Kota Kinabalu including Api Api." He said, after the "Stand Up For Sabah" gathering at the Central Market, Monday, in conjunction with SAPP's fourth anniversary of leaving the Barisan Nasional (BN) government.

The state seats in the KK parliamentary constituency are Api Api, Likas and Luyang, while the state seats in Penampang are Kepayan and Moyog.

Sepanggar Parliamentary seats is currently represented by SAPP Deputy President Datuk Eric Majimbun while the two state seats within it are Inanam and Karambunai.

To a question, he said some of the main points of the Pakatan Rakyat's Kuching Declaration on Sept 16 such as autonomy, increasing petroleum royalty to 20 per cent were similar to SAPP's Eight Points People's Declaration for change that was approved by its Supreme Council the day it left BN on Sept 17,2008.

"So we find the main points of the Kuching Declaration are almost the same with ours and obviously we welcome it because it confirmed and endorsed what we have declared four years ago," he said.

However, Yong said the focus was now on seat sharing between the opposition parties in Sabah for the 13th General Election.

"Our cooperation with Pakatan leaders at various level had been ongoing and we already have discussion whereby SAPP would contest a majority of the state seats together with the order local opposition parties.

"If Pakatan wants to conquer Putrajaya they would have to contest for more Parliamentary seats," he said.

Yong said SAPP maintained that as a local Party it would have to contest for more state seats in order to gain autonomy" so that the State Government would not have to be appointed by Kuala Lumpur."

After four years of political struggle outside the BN, Yong said SAPP as a party had become stronger and become more active in more areas.

"So today, on September 17 it is also an experience that can have self-government and autonomy.

"And our theme Ini kalilah bangkitnya orang Sabah (Stand Up for Sabah) is to tell the people that we can be self reliant, that we can stand up on our own two feet," he said.

Yong said SAPP CLC Api Api chose the Central Market as the event venue because they wanted to bring the spirit of the 49th Sabah Independence as well as the commemoration of the "Bangkitnya Orang Sabah" to the grassroots level.

"Because you see a lot of customers in Central Market and the hawkers are able to take part and we are very happy that the hawkers are also happy with the event," he said.

DE report