Kenyataan Ghapur Salleh di Parlimen mengenai Gerakan bukan pendirian rasmi BN Sabah, Musa Aman, 18 Oktober 2011

Datuk Ghapur Salleh, Ahli Parlimen Kalabakan yang juga dikenali SINGA KALABAKAN


YAB Datuk Seri Musa Aman, Ketua Menteri Sabah

Pengerusi BN Sabah, Datuk Seri Musa Aman berkata kenyataan Ahli Parlimen Kalabakan, Datuk Ghapur Salleh mengenai parti GERAKAN di Parlimen pada Isnin 17 Oktober 2011 adalah kenyataan peribadi dan bukannya pendirian rasmi Barisan Nasional, BN Sabah.

Kata Musa "selaku pengerusi BN negeri, saya anggap itu adalah semata mata pandangan peribadi Datuk Ghapur, there is nothing to do with pandangan, persepsi BN Sabah, kita seperti 1 keluarga yang besar kita sentiasa hormati 1 sama lain, kita tak memandang rendah underestimate others."

Tambah Musa BN Sabah sentiasa bekerjasama rapat antara satu sama lain untuk kebaikan parti, khususnya dalam konteks memantapkan BN Negeri menghadapi pilihanraya umum akan datang.

Musa berkata demikian dalam sidang media selepas merasmikan Al Rajhi Bank cawangan Sabah di Wisma MUIS, Kota Kinabalu pada Selasa 18 Oktober 2011.

Pada 17 Oktober 2011 bersamaan Isnin semalam di Parlimen, Ghapur dilaporkan meminta Perdana Menteri supaya tidak menurunkan calon dari parti GERAKAN untuk bertanding di Sabah dalam pilihanraya umum akan datang.

Ini kerana menurut Ghapur, Gerakan telah hilang pengaruh di Pulau Pinang dan parti itu tidak relevan dan tidak mempunyai impak, di Sabah selain dibenci masyarakat Cina di negeri itu.

GERAKAN juga katanya, bukan parti yang boleh menang, sebaliknya liabiliti untuk BN.

Ahli dewan undangan Negeri yang menyertai GERAKAN di Sabah juga katanya adalah “katak politik” yang bertukar parti untuk mengekalkan jawatan kabinet mereka.

Untuk rekod, GERAKAN yang tidak bertanding mana mana kerusi di Sabah pada pilihanraya umum 2004 dan 2008, kini mempunyai tiga Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri termasuk dua bergelar Menteri penuh.

Mereka ialah Menteri Pembangunan Perindustrian merangkap ADUN Tanjung Papat, Datuk Raymond Tan Shu Kiah, Menteri Belia & Sukan merangkap ADUN Karamunting Datuk Peter Pang En Yin dan ADUN Elopura, YB Au Kam Wah.

Raymond Tan dan Au Kam Wah dulunya ahli parti Maju Sabah, SAPP, namun bertindak keluar SAPP dan menyertai GERAKAN setelah SAPP bertindak keluar BN pada September 2008.

Peter Pang pula keluar dari Parti Liberal Demokratik, LDP dan menyertai GERAKAN setelah tidak sehaluan dengan pucuk pimpinan LDP termasuk Presiden, Datuk VK Liew yang juga Ahli Parlimen Sandakan dan Timbalan Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri serta juga tidak sehaluan dengan Timbalan Presiden LDP, Datuk Chin Shu Phin.

Ia berpunca kenyataan pucuk pimpinan LDP yang dilaporkan berkata menyokong penuh kepimpinan Perdana Menteri tetapi tidak dapat bekerjasama dengan Ketua Menteri Sabah Datuk Seri Musa Aman ekoran beberapa isu yang timbul termasuk isu patung keagamaan Buddha, Mazu di Kudat yang diarah henti kerja oleh Majlis Perbandaran Kudat pada 2007.

Kalabakan member of Parliament, Datuk Ghapur Salleh slams Gerakan in Parliament, 17th October 2011

Kalabakan Member of Parliament Datuk Ghapur Salleh is known for his fiery remarks against the oppositions and also against his fellow Barisan Nasional component parties or leaders.

And on Monday, 17th October 2011, Ghapur was again on the limelight, this time the man known as the Lion of Kalabakan or Singa Kalabakan, slammed Gerakan, a fellow BN component party.

Ghapur urged the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak, who is also the BN Chairman, not to field Gerakan to contest in Sabah in the coming 13th general election.

“It will be a crying shame if we do that,” he said during the debate in Parliament on the Budget.

He said that ” Gerakan has been uprooted in their home soil in Penang and it will have no relevancy and impact in Sabah. It will be further uprooted in Sabah as the voters, especially the Chinese, despise and do not welcome Gerakan in Sabah,”

“PM talks about winnable candidate. We must also remember we must have a winnable political party because people vote for party who has intergrity, reputation and clean image. Gerakan is not a winnable [political] party at all. It is a liability to BN as a whole."

Ghapur went on to say that all the YBs from Sabah now in Gerakan are “frogs” who are there so that they can keep their cabinet position. They do not get any respect from the people of Sabah.

"None of them is a winnable candidate.” claimed Ghafur.

For the record, Gerakan did not field any candidate in the 2004 and 2008 general election in Sabah and yet now the party has 3 YBs from Sabah, 2 of them are full state cabinet ministers.

The 3 are Minister of Industrial Development and Tanjung Papat Assemblyman Datuk Raymond Tan Shu Kiah, Minister of Youth & Sports and Assemblyman of Karamunting Datuk Peter Pang En Yin and Elopura Assemblyman, Au Kam Wah.

Raymond Tan and Au Kam Wah were formerly members of Sabah Progressive party, SAPP who pulled out of BN in September 2008.

Meanwhile Peter Pang pulled out of Liberal Democratic Party, LDP in September 2010 due to indifference's with party leaders including LDP President, Datuk VK Liew who is also Sandakan Member of Parliament and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department.

Ghapur said “About two weeks ago, the President of Gerakan came to Tawau to officiate an opening of the party’s office. There are many Bumiputras supporters coming from my area who were paid RM300.00 per person to attend. Some of them are UMNO members. This is really a shame because Gerakan who claims to be a Chinese based party and lured these UMNO supporters by giving them money to come and attend Gerakan event, ” he further said much to the amusement of the MPs who were present in the House.

Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon, the President of Gerakan, and himself defeated in the 12th General Election in 2008, has been facing a barrack of criticisms both from outside and inside of his party and a weak leader.

The Gerakan ex-President Tun Lim Keng Yeik had openly criticised him for taking up the Federal cabinet post when he had lost every single Gerakan’s seats in Penang.

Lim had in the past urged Koh to pull out from BN so to have a chance to bring back the Chinese confidence in Gerakan. Koh has been dilly dally and not doing anything about it.

Even the Independent MPs from Penang notably from Tan Tee Beng from Nebong Tebal, and Zaharain Mohd hashim from Bayan Baru had also openly asked for his head to roll saying the Koh is no more relevant inPenangand should retire completely from politics completely.

Just two days ago, even the Gerakan Wanita head Tan Lian Ho asked for her President to buck up or step aside as she is embarrassed by Koh’s weak leadership.

Over the last two days, Koh was reported to have said that he will make a few important decisions in the next few days. It is rumoured that he is contemplating to heed to his ex-president’s advice by pulling out from BN.

Meanwhile Sabah BN Chairman and Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman said Ghapur was speaking in his personal capacity and that opinion is not the official Sabah BN's views.