Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chief Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor has taken swipe at a non-Sabah leader who cited plans to “kasih bagus” (fix) Sabah, calling that leader’s assertion as merely empty talk.
“Ada lagi pemimpin datang kononnya mahu kasih bagus Sabah, saya tidak tahu dari mana, tapi apa mereka tahu, datang dari luar ke sini, temberang saja.”
(There are leaders who come here claiming he wants to “Kasih Bagus Sabah”, I don’t know where they come from, but what do they know?
“They come from outside, just making empty talks.)
The Malay term “temberang” refers to making deceitful or misleading statements, often with the intent to impress without substance.
Hajiji’s comments were seen as a direct response to recent remarks by Bersatu’s deputy president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin, who advocated the Perikatan Nasional slogan “Kasi Bagus Sabah” (Make Sabah Great).
The slogan, he said, was inspired by the youths in Sabah to be used in the Sabah election campaign this year.
Bersatu, a national party headquartered in Peninsular Malaysia, has been actively courting support in Sabah voters by using state-specific issues.
Bersatu is also Hajiji’s former party. He was the Sabah Bersatu chief, previously before he and several other leaders left the party in December 2022.
Hajiji said this when delivering his speech at the Jelajah Sayangi Sabah Zon 4 event in Kundasang, on Tuesday.
Hajiji argued that leadership from outside Sabah lacked the local insight necessary to address the state’s challenges effectively.
“We must learn from our political history and avoid repeating past mistakes. Outsiders can talk all they want, but they do not understand our issues,” he said.
The event, organized by GRS, was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam, State Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, and Paginatan assemblyman Datuk Abidin Madingkir.
On another note, Hajiji said he was optimistic of securing a fresh mandate in the upcoming 17th Sabah State Election (PRN17).
“If we say that the government’s performance today is strong and that we deserve another mandate in the next election, it is because we are confident of governing Sabah again.” – February 25, 2025
