Saying it’s time for Sabah to rise and prosper, Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (Warisan-Kota Belud) blamed Sabah leaders of the past for causing the state to lag behind others.

“Sabah was always made to obey and follow the whims and fancies of the federal government,” she said. Even now, she lamented, the political manoeuvrings had not stopped.

“While Malaysia was known as a ‘Tiger of Asia’, Sabah was the victimised mouse of extreme political manoeuvres that forced the state to agree and bow down to the federal government,” she said in debating the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2021 in the Dewan Rakyat today.

“During the Federation of Malaysia’s glory days, Sabah missed golden opportunities to be a progressive territory.”

She said development in Sabah also slowed because of the frequent changes in the state government.

Isnaraissah said even when Umno entered Sabah and formed the state government, development was still slow due to the rotational system for the chief minister’s post that was implemented then.

Isnaraissah added that Sabah must develop and prosper so that it can be on track with the rest of the country.

“It is a must. We have been fooled for some time now but we cannot be fooled all the time,” she said.

Malaysia was described as one of the four “tiger economies of Asia” in the early 1990s.