No need to beg for second chance if you've delivered - Bung tells Hajiji

Summary

• Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin says there is no need to convince Sabahans to give the state government another chance if it was effective in the first place.

• Bung says if the administration's Sabah Maju Jaya development plan was ineffective, then the people would be keen to vote out the government.

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There is no need for the Sabah government to beg the people for another chance to implement its development programmes if their initiative is successful in the first place, said Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin.

This came after Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor urged state voters to give his administration another chance to implement their Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) initiative.

"If the SMJ plan had proceeded smoothly and yielded satisfactory results, why is there a need for Hajiji to plead with the people for a second chance? Why ask for sympathy if SMJ was truly excellent?

"I want to emphasise that if SMJ was successful and the leadership functions well, there is no reason for Hajiji to plead and seek sympathy from the people of Sabah. They will surely continue to support without any request from the government," Bung (above, right) said in a statement today.

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Two days ago, Hajiji said he hoped Sabahans would give his administration another chance in the upcoming state polls.

In making the plea, he acknowledged there is much to be done by his government to develop and bring prosperity to the state.

“With an open heart, I hope my administration is given another chance by the people to lead this glorious state.

“If we are given the mandate again, Insya-Allah, we will work together to make SMJ initiatives a success,” Sinar Harian reported Hajiji as saying.

Address shortcomings

Bung, however, mentioned that people cast their votes based on results, and if SMJ was a failure, they would be more inclined to change.

He added that it would be better for Hajiji and the state government to acknowledge and address SMJ's shortcomings.

Sabah will head to the polls by October this year, with the last state election held on Sept 26, 2020.

The Sabah state government has been mired in a corruption scandal since late last year, with a whistleblower publishing videos implicating several state assemblypersons in alleged corruption, including Hajiji.

The chief minister and the assemblypersons implicated have denied any wrongdoings and claimed it was a conspiracy to destabilise the state administration ahead of the polls.

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