Keep fighting for MA63, state rights, STARSabah president appeals to voters ahead of tomorrow’s polls

KOTA KINABALU (Nov 28): STARSabah president Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Jeffrey Kitingan has urged Sabah voters to support his party and continue the long struggle for the state’s rights and future.

“Give me strength through your vote. This time we will complete what we have started. The tree of struggle has already borne fruit. Do not let others come and pluck it,” he said in a message shared via STARSabah’s media WhatsApp group, ahead of tomorrow’s state polls.

He reminded voters that Sabah is their home and must be protected.

“And make sure the key to our home is kept by ourselves,” he said.

The incumbent Tambunan assemblyman described his appeal as coming not merely from a politician but as a son of Sabah who has fought for 38 years, enduring setbacks, insults, and even separation from his family in the pursuit of justice for Sabah.

“I was imprisoned under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for 2 years and 7 months, not because I stole, not because I was corrupt, but because I defended the rights of Sabah – the rights of our children, the rights of the future of our generation,” said Jeffrey.

He reflected on the personal toll of the struggle.

“But every time I became weak, every time I was close to despair, I remembered the faces of all of you – the faces of farmers, schoolchildren, single mothers, the elderly, who came to me with one hope: ‘Datuk, please defend our rights…’ That is why I stand until today,” he said.

He said the struggle has begun to bear fruit, citing milestones such as Sabah’s Independence Day recognition, the proper positioning of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), and the High Court affirmation on October 17, 2025, that Sabah has the right to claim 40 per cent of its revenue.

Jeffrey said that this was not his victory alone but all of the people of Sabah.

“The victory of your tears, hard work and prayers,” he said.

Jeffrey warned, however, that the struggle is far from over.

“If today we retreat, if today we hand over Sabah’s future to those who do not understand MA63, who are afraid of parties from Malaya, who only appear when the political wind blows… we will lose everything.

“This 40 per cent struggle is not just a number. This is the future of the children of Sabah,” he said.

He explained that with RM20 billion a year, Sabah could ensure each state constituency receives RM100 million, provide free education for all children, eradicate extreme poverty, and transform the state into a land of hope.

“I ask only one thing from my big family in Tambunan and Saba: Do not stop our struggle when it is almost won. Do not let this 38-year struggle be buried just because of temporary fatigue,” he said.

Reflecting on his motivation, Jeffrey said he thinks of the children who will inherit Sabah, pregnant mothers considering the future of their unborn, and grandchildren growing up in the state.

“If we fail today, what will that child inherit? I remember our grandchildren who will grow up. Will they live as free citizens? Or as beggars in their own land?

“This is our struggle. This is the struggle of a people who no longer want to be bullied, who no longer want their rights violated, who want to stand proudly as citizens of a free state,” he said.