Yong Teck Lee, President of Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) announced yesterday that the party will stay in Barisan Nasional (BN), the ruling coalition, but will table a motion of no confident to the Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in Parliament sitting scheduled to be resumed on Monday. He also threaten that the party may pulling out of the coalition on Friday. For the second time in his career, Yong declared he was leaving a government because of a purported loss of confidence in its leaders. He did this before in 1994 when he abandoned the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan. Yong led a group of Chinese assemblymen and members of parliament to leave the PBS and form SAPP.
However, SAPP deputy president Datuk Raymond Tan said he was confused and embarrassed about the party's move to move a motion of no-confidence against the Prime Minister. He said that the party's supreme council had not been consulted on the matter, accusing SAPP president Datuk Yong Teck Lee of acting arbitrarily. Saying he would attend the party supreme council meeting scheduled tomorrow, he however questioned the party's rationale of having made the decision first.
"It is not proper for us to do it when (Datuk Seri) Abdullah (Ahmad Badawi) is the Barisan chairman. It is disrespectful to the Prime Minister," said Tan, who is Sabah Deputy Chief Minister and Infrastructure Minister. On the meeting, Tan said: "If it (the no-confidence motion) was already pre-planned and decided, what are we going to discuss? The damage is done." He said the move was embarrassing as the SAPP won its seats on a Barisan ticket.
Tan said he was not making any stand on the issue at the moment before attending the meeting.
He said SAPP had been very vocal and even blunt on Sabah issues and the Federal Government had been responding to various requests. Tan had on Monday denied speculation that the SAPP would be pulling out of the Barisan. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/6/19/nation/21595164&sec=nation.
Barisan Nasional will have their Supreme Council meeting today to discuss about the political storm created from Sabah. Many BN component parties want SAPP to be penalised or even sack from BN. However, since its only Yong Teck Lee who are dissatisfied with PM for not getting what he wants, it is unfair take action on the party. We need to closely monitor the progress of Sabah politics now, who know? A new party may form out of SAPP, from those who are not happy with Yong's selfish move.
2 comments:
Yong's action is really shocking given that AAB has been giving Sabah a lot of attention since the last GE. Selfish? Maybe, but one thing is certain; there are dissatisfaction on the "2nd Class" treatment on Sabah by the Feds.
Cracks have appeared in the BN armour; once thought to be bullet proof. I would say it all started when some quaters in UMNO called for AAB's head after the GE. Then came the Grand Ol' Man's criticism/blogs and from there it gathers steam. Can't they see it? BN's poor perfromance is not due to AAB alone but the whole leadership and its leaders. Arrogant and being complacent when faced with real issues are BN's downfall. Anyway, they should regroup and face with this adversity. AAB must survive AT ALL COST. Sack Yong/SAPP. Otherwise, we might get a new PM and it ain't gonna be Najib.
what to say...Yong teck lee is just a first world political monster!!!
BN latest decison not to penalise SAPP is a brilliant move. Pass the ball back to SAPP and let them fight first. No matter who the winner, Yong teck lee is sure out of SAPP or BN...BUT a new SAPP will created to continue joining BN.
For sure the climax is still not over...at least after this december.
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