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PM Ready for MA63 Discussions
Najib being welcomed by a huge crowd upon his arrival at Penampang Cultural Centre in Sabah to declare open Upko national convention. | PHOTO: Bernama photo
November 13th, 2016 | 10:02 AM | 1031 views
PENAMPANG, SABAH
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is ready to discuss the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
When officiating at United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation’s (Upko) national convention here yesterday, Najib said his door was always open.
“If the Malaysia Agreement as a document, if a part of our Constitution had been misinterpreted, the door is always open for us to discuss in the Barisan Nasional (BN) family,” he said.
“I have an open mind. I do not want to take the rights of Sabahans. In fact, I want to defend them, but do not say we want to leave Malaysia. No, no, no. We are in a family: we will always be together in Malaysia.”
As BN chairman and Prime Minister, Najib said he wanted to see all BN component parties unite in the spirit of ‘pisompuruan’ (unity).
“If each and every one of the BN component parties is committed to the spirit of ‘pisompuruan’, I am confident and believe that the coalition’s strength will remain strong.”
‘Sabah will continue to develop and catch up with other states’
Najib said he would ensure Sabah continue to develop and progress in tandem with the progress and development achieved by other states in the peninsula.
He denied claims and accusations by a former BN leader that the ruling party was not democratic, pointing out that during that particular leader’s administration, hundreds of people were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
“Now that person is claiming I am not democratic. Who is more democratic, the person who had detained hundreds under ISA before? Now he is claiming others are not democratic.”
Najib said the people were wise and know the difference between glass and precious stones, adding, “I did not say I am perfect, but the person who was not perfect should not say others are not perfect.”
He also spoke about the need for BN leaders to go to the ground to meet the people as they are the ones who would determine who they wanted to govern the country.
“Don’t focus on official programmes only. We must be with the people and feel their pulse. The splinter parties may not win but we can lose the election. It is ours to lose, not for them to win.
“But if we do it right, we will win.”
On the issue of seat allocation in the 14th general election, he stressed that those requesting for seats must ensure they could deliver them to the coalition.
“It is not the number of seats contested but the number of seats you can win. There is no use to be given the seats if you cannot win,” he said, adding that voters should never be underestimated.
He also urged Malaysians to look forward and envision the bigger picture to fulfil the agenda of becoming a class one nation, adding that Malaysians must not be trapped and embroiled in minor issues because such actions would only result in the population losing the race to other countries that were ready to move forward.
“We have a big agenda. We do not want to be a second rate country. We don’t want to be a mediocre country. We want Malaysia to be among the best, among the best nations on this earth.
“That is why I had proposed the 2050 National Transformation (TN50) agenda. TN50 is a dialogue process from the grassroots. The objective is to determine the road map to place Malaysia at the peak of success and become a ‘first rate nation’ that all of us can be proud of.”
He said he would continue to be open-minded and humble when handling the grievances and requests of the people to ensure the bigger agenda was achieved.
On the issue of illegal immigrants in Sabah, Najib said Malaysia had reached an agreement with the Philippines and would be sending back its citizens who had illegally made Sabah their home.
Najib said Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte had extended his cooperation on the issue during their recent meeting in Putrajaya.
“I told him I want him to take back as many illegal immigrants from the Philippines in Sabah. He agreed to accept them, and this can be implemented. It is important to have this agreement. I cannot send them back without it. He has agreed, and I am sure he will honour his commitment. This is an understanding at the highest level.”
Najib said Malaysia was willing to loan out its naval ships to deport the illegal immigrants if the Philippines did not have enough vessels to take them home, adding that the temporary detention centres in Sabah had exceeded their capacity with more than 7,000 illegal immigrants.
“We can start deporting those 7,000 back. When we have more space, then we can fill it up again. We will do this so we can achieve our ambitions of having Sabah for Sabahans.”
Among those present at the event were Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, Upko acting president Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau, Upko honorary president and Malaysian ambassador to the Vatican City Tan Sri Bernard Dompok.
Source:
courtesy of THE BORNEO POST
by Nancy Lai
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