Kadamaian Assemblyman Herbert Timbun Lagadan said the opposition party had been questioning the sincerity of leaders in Kuala Lumpur towards the people in Sabah and accusing them of twisting the facts of history.

“These accusations cannot be ignored….we must oppose them at any cost,” he said when debating on the 2008 State Budget at the State Assembly sitting here yesterday.

Elaborating, he said on August 31, 1957, an independent nation known as Malaya was born and the name was changed to Malaysia on September 16, 1963 when the peninsula, Singapore, Sarawak and Sabah agreed to form a new nation.

“Therefore the name Malaya no longer exists. And I would like to question the leaders of Keadilan whether they are proposing to have two dates for Merdeka celebration…one for Malaysians in the peninsula and another for Malaysians in Sabah and Sarawak.

“And, in my view, the 50th Merdeka celebration this year is not an effort by federal leaders to distort history and they were not being insincere towards the people of Sabah as claimed by the opposition,” he said.

Herbert pointed out that the existing harmony and unity among Malaysians were important for the country’s progress.

“Every Malaysian must contribute their efforts to ensure the existing unity among the multi-racial and multi-religious people will continue to prevail,” he said.

However, Herbert said he noted that the opposition leaders in Sabah, especially from Keadilan, had been busy conducting ceramahs in Kadamaian to inflame the people and to provoke them into hating peninsula leaders, particularly from Umno.

“The opposition wants the people’s support to get rid of Umno from Sabah claiming they are a colonialist party.

“But the people in Kadamaian are asking why Keadilan leaders are doing that when Keadilan itself is also from the peninsula,” he said.

“I think Keadilan leaders have lost their minds. They no longer know and realise what they are talking. They have forgotten that their party is also from the peninsula. Are leaders who have lost their minds capable of running the state of Sabah?,” Herbert quipped.

He added that because Keadilan leaders have lost their minds, they simply ridiculed the present the state government leaders.

Herbert also said Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitngan, a Sabah Keadilan leader, has lodged a police report against Sabah BN leaders on a number of issues “but is he qualified to make accusations against BN leaders when at one time he was accused by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who was then the Deputy Prime Minister, of being responsible for the missing RM4 billion that belonged to Yayasan Sabah?” “And if that is true, then Dr Jeffrey has disqualified himself to be a leader,” he said.

“If Datuk Seri Anwar is here, I would want to ask him if he would defend his accusation against Dr Jeffrey now that they have become friends,” he added.

But Herbert said he was certain Datuk Seri Anwar would no longer blame Dr Jeffrey over the missing RM4 billion because of their friendship.

“If that is the case, how can he claim to be a leader who is fair and clean and has integrity when because of friendship, he is willing to compromise his principles.

“How can he run the country and ensure it is free of corruption when he is willing to compromise his principles?,” Herbert asked.

He also said if Datuk Seri Anwar gave the excuse that he no longer wished to accuse Dr Jeffrey anymore due to lack of evidence, then it meant that the former had been cruel to Dr Jeffrey for making unfounded accusations.

“It also shows that he is a leader who likes to make baseless accusations. And if he becomes a leader of the country, more people would be held under the ISA or jailed without being proven guilty,” Herbert said.

According to him, the people have no better alternative but to continue to support the BN government for progress of the country and the state which they love.

Herbert also hailed the integrity and competence of federal and state leaders in formulating development policies and their efforts in uniting the people.

“I also wish to thank the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) for what the federal government has done, that is to entrust local people with positions in the federal departments in Sabah such as the Education Department.

“Apart from that a leader from Sabah has been made political secretary to the Education Minister,” he said.

As such, Herbert is appealing to the federal ministries to appoint political secretaries from among Sabahans so as to further strengthen the unity and integration among political leaders and people in the country.

“I think it won’t be too much to propose that the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister appoint a political secretary from among the Sabah people and I believe they will consider it if there is a request,” he said.

“You won’t know if you don’t try…ask and it shall be given; knock the door and it will be opened,” he added.

Herbert also said 2008 State Budget is good for the state and people “and even the opposition leaders at the grassroots level were surprised by the capability of the government in coming up with a big and people-friendly Budget”.

“The Budget amount is in excess of RM2 billion while the federal government is giving more than RM4 billion. All in all over RM6 billion will be utilised to develop the state next year.

“And with such a huge allocation, the people now have more confidence in the capability of the BN government in looking after their wellbeing,” he stressed.

Meanwhile Herbert told the House that the people of Wariu were all smiles when the Infrastructure Development Minister during a visit to Kampung Sayap in May this year announced he has obtained the agreement of the Chief Minister to commence road upgrading work there in stages.

“However the people there are still waiting for the work to be carried out. The opposition had already seized the opportunity to say that we are liars.

“Keadilan leaders during a political ceramah in Wariu recently said the failure of the Kadamain YB and Minister of Infrastructure Development in implementing what they had announced is evident that the BN government does not know how to manage the state…it only knows how to make promises.

“As such I am appealing to the Minister in question to save the good reputation of BN in Wariu,” he said.

Herbert also congratulated the Chief Minister for being the first state government leader to announce a pay hike for civil servants in line with the pay hike for federal civil servants announced by the Prime Minister.

“I believe the pay hike will motivate civil servants to improve their service to the people,” he added.

Herbert also revealed that some civil servants from Kadamaian were involved in politics and had been going around criticising the BN government.

“They work in the office in the day and at night they will go to the kampung to give talks to provoke the people into hating BN and Umno,” he said.