According to Siambun, Tangau should stop treating Sabahans as stupid and gullible people.
“Upko has been very vocal in rejecting the tabling of the bill to the extent that its secretary-general, Donald Mojuntin, confidently said that the amendment to increase the punishment is against the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“And now we have Tangau saying that Upko views the co-operation between Umno and PAS, through the tacit support of Prime Minister Najib Razak for PAS president Abdul Awang Hadi to table the latter’s private members bill, is ‘normal’ because it relates to the akidah (creed) of Muslims.
“Does Tangau really think that Sabahans are that stupid?
“When Upko said that it would reject the bill, the party should’ve also opposed the co-operation between Umno and PAS, not because of akidah but because the act may open the floodgates to an Islamic system here in Sabah,” he said in a statement today.
Siambun also reminded Tangau that not all Malaysian Muslims and Malays welcomed the increased punishments proposed under the amendment and that it was the role of BN federal cabinet ministers from Sabah to argue the case for Muslim Sabahans.
“The federation of Malaysia was built on the foundation of secularism and never was intended to be an Islamic country.
“I believe many Sabahan Muslims will reject the idea of Malaysia or even Sabah becoming like Pakistan or Iran,” he said.
“But most of all, did Tangau ever think that the only protection from the amended RUU355 available to Sabahan Muslims was the MA63? Did Upko ever argue for its case with Umno, based on this understanding?”
Barely two weeks ago, Siambun said former Sabah chief minister Harris Salleh had said it was the responsibility of Sabah BN component heads to argue the case in relation to Sabah’s rights but many did not do so perhaps because they feared losing their positions.
“So, was Harris talking about BN politicians such as Tangau in this case?”
He also wanted to know the position of other Sabah BN component parties in this issue.
“Being the smallest party in Sabah BN, I believe Upko may have been instructed to come out with the statement as a representative of the other bigger parties like PBS, PBRS, LDP and others,” he said.
“So, I reckon that PBS, PBRS and LDP must now enlighten our Sabahans on the co-operation between Umno and PAS on the RUU355.
“It is a very simple question of whether these parties are agreeable to it or not.”