Terlebih dahulu, saya ingin mengucapkan Selamat Datang kepada Presiden dan semua Pimpinan PKR Pusat ke Sabah di Negeri Sabah di bawah bayu sempena Pilihan Raya Negeri yang ke-16.
Saya dan kepimpinan Keadilan Sabah amat terharu dengan penghormatan Presiden dan Pimpinan dalam memilih Kota Kinabalu sebagai lokasi program pada malam ini. Ini menunjukkan sokongan padu Presiden dan Pimpinan kepada kami dalam memastikan Parti Keadilan terus relevan di Sabah.
Sebagai rakan sekutu dalam Warisan Plus, PKR Sabah sangat berkeyakinan mendapat kemenangan besar 2/3 atau 100 peratus kemenangan di kesemua 7 DUN yang ditandingkan. Sebagai sebuah parti yang sudah bertapak selama 22 tahun di Sabah, PKR sangat relevan untuk memperjuangkan hak rakyat Sabah dan bakal menubuhkan kerajaan bersama di dalam Warisan Plus dalam PRN ke-16. Selain itu, Kerjasama PKR dengan Parti Warisan, UPKO, DAP dan Amanah amat penting dan menjadi harapan rakyat Sabah.
Tuan-Tuan dan Puan-Puan yang dihormati, dengan izin saya akan menyampaikan ucapan/pidato saya dalam bahasa Inggeris.
Ladies and gentlemen,
You have just witnessed some of our plans for Sabah in the area of tourism and environment. Did you like them?
Unfortunately, due to unexpected events in 2020, we had to postpone most of the plans and hope for borders to be open again. We did not know then, that right in the middle of a global pandemic, we would suddenly find ourselves having to get through another election just a mere 26 months from the last one. But I always believe this to be true; life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you respond to it. I have chosen to respond to this current challenge we are facing, in three distinct ways.
FIRST: FIGHT BACK. Lawan tetap lawan. When news of the dissolution happened, and we realized that there was a possibility the old administration the people had rejected in 2018 may come back through the backdoor, my team and I determined in our hearts, that we would fight this betrayal with every ounce of strength. We chose to rise up in this hour of Sabah’s need, and do battle for democracy. Every vote you gave us in 2018 was a symbol of your confidence in the administration of Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal’s government, and evidence of your voice. We were not about to let the people be robbed. So our first response was lawan tetap lawan. Lawan sampai menang.
SECOND: UNITE. It is never easy to come to a consensus when there are so many parties and so many seats up for grabs. I know the negotiation process was painful for many of us. But still we pressed on, until we were able to arrive at a unified stand. It was important for us as an alliance, to be everything the PN-BN-other parties are not. If they are fractured, we must be united. If they have questionable candidates, we must have great ones. If they use dirty tactics, we choose facts and data to counter them. And if they fight over who their Ketua Menteri will be, we will give the voters certainty with a common choice. Unity is what distinguishes us from the rest of the hundreds of other candidates in the field this year. It is our uniform, our brand, our pledge. And we must never do anything to jeopardize it.
THIRD: KEEP OUR PROMISES. As leaders, we have a duty to support the people’s faith in the democratic process. If leaders keep making promises they cannot keep, then voters will feel it is pointless to keep turning up at the ballot box and vote. When the rakyat give you their trust by giving you their vote, it is your sacred duty to keep your promises and not turn into a frog. If you want to make money, get a proper job or go into business. If you want to make quick money, rob a bank. But if you want to go into the arena of public service, then be prepared to go the distance. Say what you mean, and mean what you say.
That has always been my stand the last 22 years I have been in service to the people. It was sometimes a challenge, having to balance the need for administration, policy-making and engaging with the community. Many a times, I get the balance wrong. Every day I have been in this life, I have had to learn new lessons, and keep learning and keep trying.
But one thing that has never changed, is my ability to stick to my principles even when I have faced persecutions. The people never have to worry about whether I would jump around after they have given me a mandate. In a time of uncertainty, I hope to be a strong pillar for Sabah, together with my colleagues in PKR and our alliance partners, Warisan, DAP, UPKO and Amanah.
This Malaysia Day is extra special to me. I was present at the very first Malaysia Day of this nation, when Sabah formed Malaysia together with Sarawak, Malaya and Singapore. And now, after all these years, even while we are in the middle of a pandemic, and an unexpected election, I am witnessing the same spirit of unity in diversity, the same tolerance and the same respect for one another’s culture and religion that is the trademark of every Sabahan.
My prayer is that this will never change, and we will never allow any racist or divisive element to sow discord among us. The eyes of the nation are upon us now. How we make our choice on 26th September, will show the world what we are made of. Let Sabah show the way once again.
Kita Jaga Kita. Selamat Hari Malaysia.
Reformasi! Reformasi! Reformasi.
Sekian, Terima Kasih.
