A veteran Sabah politician has cautioned that Kuala Lumpur will be making a grave mistake to brand Sabah BN leaders ‘frogs’ just because they are making demands in the interests of the state.

John Ghani, the former independent assemblyperson for Kuala Penyu said recent developments where MPs and political leaders from Sabah had been more open and vociferous in voicing out issues that affect the state was not surprising based on the present political scenario.

"Don't make a mistake by concluding that Sabah leaders are those who simply like to switch parties. What they are saying is the reality in the State, which they have been unable to voice out for quite a long time,” he was quoted in the Daily Express of Sabah as saying today.

"It is quite disappointing to hear leaders in Kuala Lumpur saying Sabahans have no stand. This is not the case," said Ghani, who was one of those instrumental in helping Umno spread its wings to Sabah in 1994.

During the early Umno days in Sabah, Ghani had held the post of Sabah Umno deputy liaison chairperson.

His experience in the 2004 general election to win the Kuala Penyu state seat as an independent candidate after resigning from Umno to contest against the BN showed the people would never hesitate to make the change if the government continued to ignore them.

"Their (Sabah leaders) actions should be praised because this is the only way they can get the federal government to take Sabah seriously. The issues were also raised many times in the state assembly," he said.

Ghani said accusing Sabah leaders as frogs was tantamount to accusing the people of Sabah as having no principles.

Sabah as a model

In fact, Ghani said Kuala Lumpur should make Sabah as a model, which despite being the "poorest" state in the country remained as the BN stronghold.

"In peninsula they lost five states among them Selangor and Penang, which are the most developed in the country," he said.

Among the issues raised, he said, was for the prime minister to hold a cabinet reshuffle to give Sabah better federal ministerial representation.

He believed Abdullah Ahmad Badawi overlooked the fact that during the Usno era in the 1970s a Sabah leader, Ghani Gilong, was appointed minister of public works and transport, an important portfolio for the country.

"Between then and now, surely we have more educated and capable leaders from Sabah able to hold important portfolios but not given the opportunity," he said.

Another issue, Ghani said was the illegal immigrants that continue to be unabated despite many calls by the leaders from the state for the federal government to find a concrete solution.

He added that if no solution is in sight to address the problem now, the future generation would be facing a greater challenge than what the people of Sabah is facing today.