Dr Mahathir Mohamad picked Chong Kah Kiat to be the chief minister of Sabah to the chagrin of the Barisan Nasional Kadazandusun parties. This is a surprise move against the anticipation that a Kadazandusun would be chosen to fill the hot seat. But then Mahahtir is not known to follow convention. So the decision has been made.

From Mahathir's tone, it's quite obvious that he is still angry with the Kadazandusuns for not supporting BN. Depriving the Kadazandusuns of the high office would therefore be an effective punishment for their recalcitrant disposition.

The Kadazandusuns are not against Mahathir, BN, or for that matter, anybody else. The Kadazandusuns believe strongly in the value of democracy, fair play, social justice, civil liberties and personal integrity.

The people's representatives who won on the PBS ticket but later leapfrogged to BN are seen as people with questionable integrity. The BN who preaches high morals to all and sundry, by virtue of taking these people in, were therefore unprincipled in the eyes of the Kadazandusun.

Why should the Kadazandusun be obliged to support BN? Isn't everyone free to choose which party or person they wish to support based on their perceptions of who truly upholds justice and democracy? Is it a sin to do that? To punish the Kadazandusun just because they did not support BN is truly undemocratic.

BN should stop being paternalistic and try to be broad-minded and objective.