MEMBAKUT: As part of its Kimanis by-election campaign strategy against Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan), Barisan Nasional (BN) is continuing to harp on the controversial Sabah Temporary Pass (PSS) issue.
Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan on Monday accused Warisan of playing “hide-and-seek” on the issue, as it never addressed matters pertaining to immigrants or the PSS in its 14th general election (GE14) manifesto.
“I read their 13-point manifesto, none of them mentions PSS.
“During the GE14, they played ‘tapuk-tapuk’ (hide-and-seek). From Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal to Datuk Darell Leiking and Datuk Karim (Bujang) – none of them said anything about (PSS),” he said.
The Tuaran Umno division chief said this during his talk to villagers on BN’s campaign trail at Kampung Bawan Membakut, here.
Abdul Rahman said Warisan had “lied” to voters during the GE14 by not mentioning issues deemed a threat to Sabah in terms of security, job availability and education, among others.
The PSS, he said, promises a bleak future for Sabah, as its implementation is equivalent to rolling out a red carpet for illegal immigrants to live comfortably in Sabah, use electricity and water illegally, and rob all subsidised goods from deserving citizens.
He stressed that the state government should have discussed the issue prior to announcing the implementation of the PSS, scheduled for June 1.
Abdul Rahman added that local opposition parties are unable to stop the PSS’ implementation despite having been invited for a discussion after the plan was announced.
“They would not listen because they are the government. The only way is for the people of Kimanis to give them a ‘political slap’ through this by-election.
“Otherwise, it would mean that one vote for Warisan candidate (Karim) is also one vote for PSS,” said Abdul Rahman.
He added that by doing the “right thing”, the current generation would be answerable to their future generations about the PSS.
“Sabah people have been struggling a lot with (cuts to) all incentives, such as BR1M (Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia), fisherman subsidies, scholarships and other allowances under the Pakatan Harapan government.
“Therefore, this is the chance for Kimanis people to represent 30 million Malaysians, to send a message to the leaders about the people’s suffering," he added.
The Kimanis parliamentary by-election is a straight fight between Warisan and BN, whose candidate is Datuk Mohamad Alamin. Early voting is on Jan 14, while polling will take place on Jan 18.