AKU ANAK SABAH

USNO AND ITS NEW MISSIONS

INTRODUCTION

The unity, at the core leading to our cause forward is the United Sabah National Organization (USNO) Party. The theoretical basis guiding our thinking is Guided Democratic Principles. USNO has drawn its main aims and struggles to ensure that the following are implemented to safeguard the interests of the peoples of Sabah and the right of the State of Sabah to manage and run its own economy and State Government administration without interference of the Federal Government.

The Organization Aims:-

(i) To uphold the sovereignty of the Constitution of Malaysia.

(Mempertahan kedaulatan Perlembagaan Malaysia.)

(ii) To uphold and protect the sincerity an honesty in the Independence status and the Nation Democracy and to hold and uphold the Nation Principles of Commandments (Memelihara dan mempertahan keikhlasan dan kejujuran status kemerdekaan dan demokrasi Negara serta berpegang teguh dan menjunjung prinsip-prinsip Rukun Negara ia itu)

(a) Believe in God (Kepercayaan kepada Tuhan)

(b) Loyalty to the King and the Nation (Kesetiaan kepada Raja dan

Negara.)

(c) Augustness of the Constitution (Keluhuran Perlembagaan.)(d)Respect for the law (Kedaulatan undang-undang.)

(e) Politness and morality. (Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan.)

(iii) To protect mandatorily: Equality, Stability, Prosperity and peace. Untuk menjaga secara mandatori: Kesamarataan, Kestabilan, Kemakmuran dan Kesejahteraan dalam Malaysia.)

(iv) To uphold and protect the interests of the State of Sabah within Malaysia. (Memelihara dan menjaga kepentingan Negeri Sabah di dalam Malaysia.)

(v) To protect and to ensure the special rights of every citizen as enshrined in the Malaysian Constitution as multiracial ethnics, race and different religion. (Menjaga dan mempastikan hak keistimewaan setiap rakyat Sabah yang termaktub dalam Perlembagaan Malaysia sebagai rakyat berbilang kaum dan bangsa, berbagai budaya dan berbilang ugama.)

(vi) To uphold and protect customs and cultural traditions of the people of Sabah and continuously respect the freedom of religious practice. (Berpegang teguh dan melindungi adat resam dan budaya tradisi rakyat Sabah dan terus menghormati amalan kebebasan berugama.)

(vii) To strengthen goodwill and tolerance and harmony among the peoples of Sabah consisting of various races, customs and religions. (Mengeratkan muhibah, harmoni dan toleransi di kalangan rakyat Sabah yang terdiri daripada berbagai kaum, budaya dan ugama.)

(viii) To uphold and protect the Principles of Parliamentary-Democracy Government of Malaysia. (Berpegang teguh dan melindungi amalan prinsip Kerajaan Demokrasi Berparlimen.)

(ix) To work and co-operate with other Political Organizations having the similar aims and missions registered in Malaysia to encourage involvement in clean political practice. (Bekerjasama dengan pertubuhan siasah yang lain yang mempunyai tujuan dan matalamat yang sama, berdaftar di Malaysia untuk sama-sama menggalakkan penglibatan dalam perkembangan Politik yang sihat.)

(x) To uphold the respect of Social justice without discrimination.(Menjunjung kedaulatan keadilan Sosial tanpa pilih kasih.)

POLITICAL WORK

The system of party representatives and the political departments adopted for the first time in Sabah, entirely change the complexion of these party members. The United Sabah National Organization founded on the 24 Th December 1962, and the National Front (Barisan Nasional) of today have inherited this system and developed it. The people’s Liberation military has developed its vigorous revolutionary political work, which is an important factor in winning victory over the communist during the fifties and sixties, on the basis of people’s war, and the principles of unity between commanders and fighters and of disintegrating the communist troops.

This military has built up a system of political work which is essential for the people’s to defeat the enemy and is aimed at promoting unity in its own ranks, unity with the friendly military and unity with the people and at integrating the enemy forces and ensuring victory in the political struggle.

Political work is the life-blood of all economic work. This particularly true at a time when the social and economic system is undergoing fundamental change.

“The military branch is organized on a company basis”; this important reason why the military has been able to carry on such arduous fighting without falling apart. The military unity had liberated us, Malaysian from the communist constant threat in the past. Political party on the other hand is guided by three basic principles:

1. The principle of unity officers and men, which means eradicating feudal practice, prohibiting abuse, building up conscious discipline, and sharing weal and woe – as a result of which the entire government and political leaders are closely united.

2. The principle of unity between the political leaders, Government and the people, which means maintaining a discipline that forbids the slightest violation of the people’s interests, conducting propaganda and equipping them the necessary means to safeguard themselves, lightening their economic burden and suppressing the traitors and collaborators who do harm to the party and the people – as a result of which the military and the political leaders is closely united with the people and welcomed everywhere.

3. The principle of disintegrating the rivals group and giving lenient treatment to the rival group who had repented for their wrong doings. Our victory today not only depends on the correct handling of the people unity but also upon the disintegration of our enemy.

Our political leaders must observe the correct principles that govern relations between the party members and the people at large, between the party and the government and the Party with the officers and men, and between the governmental work and the political work, and relations among the cadres, and must never commit the errors of warlordism. Officers must cherish their men and must not be indifferent to their well-being or resort to heavy punishment; the political leaders must cherish the people and never encroach upon their interests; the political leaders must respect the government and the Party and never “assert independence”.

Ideological education is the key link to be grasped in uniting the whole Party for great political struggles. Unless this is done, the Party cannot accomplish any of its political tasks. Recently there has been a falling off in ideological and political work among politicians and intellectuals, and some unhealthy tendencies have appeared. Some people seem to think that there is no longer any need to concern oneself with politics or with the future of the motherland and the ideals of mankind. It seems as if the method of societal analysis that focuses on class relations and societal conflict, that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, and a dialectical view of social transformation. An economy or economic system consists of the production, distribution or trade, and consumption of limited goods and services by different agents in a given geographical location. The economic agents can be individuals, businesses, organizations, or governments. A good government needs to observe this methodology uses economic and sociopolitical inquiry and applies that to the analysis beginning with an analysis of material conditions, taking at its starting point the necessary economic activities required by human society to provide for its material needs. The counter of these tendencies, we must strengthen our ideological and political work. Both politicians and intellectuals should study hard. In addition to the study of their specialized subjects, they must make progress both ideologically and politically, which means that they should study Marxism. Not to have a correct political point of view is like having no soul. … All departments and organizations should shoulder their responsibilities in ideological and political work. This applies to the Democratic Party, youth league, government departments in charge of all these work, and especially to heads of educational institutions and teachers. After receiving political education, the leaders, have all become class-conscious and learns the essentials of distributing land, setting up political power arming the workers and peasants, etc., they all know they are fighting for themselves, for the working class and peasantry. Hence they can endure the hardships of the bitter struggle without complaint. Each Party, organization or government has its own political and administrative committee, which represent the interests of the politicians and carries their political and mass work.

The correct unfolding of the movement for pouring our grievances (the wrongs done to the laboring people by the old society and the reactionaries) and the three check-ups (on class origin, performance of duty and will to fight) greatly heightened the political consciousness of the leaders and fighters throughout the political members in the fight for emancipation of the exploited working masses, for nationwide land reform and for the destruction of the common enemy of the people, for example the Sultan of Sulu’s bandit gang who recently intruded Tanduo and Semporna killing several police officers. It also greatly strengthened the firm unity of all military and fighters under the leadership of Barisan Nasional Party. On this basis the army achieved greatest purity in its ranks, strengthened discipline, unfolded a mass movement for training, and further development in political, economic and military democracy in a completely in a well-led and orderly way. Thus the police and military has become united as one man, with everybody contributing his ideas and his strength, an army fearless of sacrifice and capable of overcoming material difficulties, which displays mass heroism and daring in destroying the enemy. Such an army will be invincible. In the last few months almost all the people’s Liberation army has made use of intervals between battle at Tanduo for a large scale training and consolidation. This has been carried in a fully guided, orderly and democratic way. It has therefore aroused the revolutionary fervor of the great masses of commanders and fighters, enable them clearly to comprehend the aim of the fight, eliminated certain incorrect ideological tendencies and undesirable manifestation and greatly enhanced the combat effectiveness of the army. Let there be a gap to combine together and forget internal political ideological differences to combat foreign intrusion to our own country. From now on, we must continue to carry on this new this type of ideological education movement in our military and Political movement, a movement which has a democratic and mass character.

The educational policy of the Royal Malaysia College [the Ant-Communist Military and Political College] is to cultivate a firm and correct political orientation, an industrious and simple style of work, and flexible strategy and tactics. These are the three essentials in making of Ant-Communist revolutionary soldier. It is in accordance to these essentials that the staff teaches and the students study. Our nation has always had a traditional style of hand struggle, which we should develop. What is more the Malaysian ruling Party has to advocate a firm and correct political orientation? This orientation is inseparable from a style of hard struggle. Without a firm and correct political orientation, it is impossible to promote a style of hard struggle. Without the style of hard struggle, it is impossible to maintain a firm and correct political orientation.

What really counts in the world is conscientiousness, and is most particular about being conscientious. This is what the United Sabah National Organization feels, thinks and aim at to fight for the benefits of the people of Sabah in particular and the people of Malaysia as a whole.

DEMOCRACY IN THE THREE MAIN FOLD

A proper measure of democracy should be put into effect in the political organization, chiefly by abolishing feudal practice and nepotism practice and by having officers and men share weal and woe. Once this done, unity will be achieved between officers and men, the leadership effectiveness in the Party will greatly increase, and there will be no doubt of our ability to sustain the long unfair practice.

Apart from the role played by the Party, the reason why the past USNO government in the past has been able to carry on in spite of such poor material conditions and frequent engagement in its practice of democracy. The officers do not discriminate the men, officers and men receive equal treatment equally; men were free to hold meetings and speak out; trivial formalities have been done away with; and the accounts are open to all to inspect. … In Malaysia the political organization needs democracy as much as the people do. Democracy in our Politics is an important weapon for undermining the feudal mercenary enemy.

The policy for political work in our country is fully to arouse the rank and file, the leaders and all working personnel in order to achieve three major objectives through a democratic movement under centralized leadership, namely, a high degree of political unity, better living conditions, and better military technique and tactics. The three check-ups and three improvements now being enthusiastically carried in our army units are intended to attain the first two of these objectives through the methods of political and economic democracy.

The “Three check-ups and Three improvements” constituted an important movement for Party consolidation and for ideological education both in the government servants and political leaders which must be carried out by the party in conjunction with the land and natural resources reform. In the localities, the “Three check-ups” meant checking on class origin, ideology and style of work; in the government offices, the check-ups would be on class origin, performance of duty and will to carry it out correctly. The, “Three improvements” means organizational conditions, ideological education and rectification of style of work.

With regard to economic democracy, the representatives elected by the people must be ensured the right to assist (but not to bypass) the ruling Party’s leadership in managing the government’s supplies and mess.

With regard to the military democracy, periods of training there must be mutual instruction between officers and among the soldiers themselves; and in period of fighting the military at the front must hold big and small meetings of various kinds. Under the direction of the military leadership, the rank and file should be roused to discuss how to attack and capture enemy positions and how to fulfill other combat tasks. When a fight lasts several days, several meetings should be held. This kind of military democracy was practiced with great success in the battle of Tanduo and in the battle in Semporna area. It has been proved that practice can only be good and can do no harm whatsoever.

In the present great struggle USNO Party demands that all its leading bodies and all the members and cadres should give their fullest expression to their initiative which alone can ensure victory. The initiative must be demonstrated concretely in the abilities of the leading bodies, the cadres and the Party rank and file to work creatively, in their readiness to assume responsibility, in the exuberant vigour they show in their work, in their courage, ad ability to raise questions, voice opinion and criticize defects, and in the comradely supervision that is maintained over leading body and the leading cadres. Otherwise, “initiative” will be empty thing. But the exercise of such initiative depends on the spread of democracy in Party life. Only in the atmosphere of democracy can large number of able people be brought forward.

Anyone should be allowed to speak out, whoever he may be, so long as he is not a hostile element and does not make malicious attacks it does not matter if he says something wrong. With regard to the economic democracy, the representatives elected by the people must be ensured the right to assist (But not to bypass) the government officers’ leadership in managing the government’s supplies and mess. Leaders at the levels have the duty to listen to others. Two principles must be observed:

(1) Say all what you know and say it without reserve;

(2) Don’t blame the speaker but take his words a warning. Unless the principle of “Don’t blame the speaker” is observed genuinely and falsely, the result will not be “Say all you know and say it without reserve”.

Education in democracy must be carried on within the Party so that the members can understand the meaning of democratic life, the meaning of relationship between democracy and centralism, and the way in which democratic centralism should be put into practice. Only in this way can we really extend democracy within the Party and at the same time avoid ultra-democracy and the laissez-faire which destroy discipline.

Both in the government and local organizations, inner-democracy is meant to strengthen discipline and increase work effectiveness, not to weaken them.

In the sphere of theory, destroy the roots ultra-democracy. First, it should be pointed out that danger of ultra-democracy lies in the fact that it damages or even completely wrecks the Party organization weakens or even completely undermines the Party’s fighting capacity, rendering the Party incapable fulfilling its political tasks and thereby causing the defeat of the election. Next, it should be pointed out that the source of ultra-democracy consists in the bourgeoisie’s individualistic aversion to discipline. When the characteristic is brought into the Party, it develops into ultra-democratic ideas politically and organizationally. These ideas are utterly incompatible with the fighting tasks of the party members.

BUILDING OUR STATE THROUGH DILEGENCE AND FRUGALITY

We must see to it that all our cadres and all our members constantly bear in mind that ours is big democratic country but an economically back and poor because of our natural resources and the other forms of wealth are being transferred to the Federal Government and that this is a very great contradiction. To make Sabah rich and strong, it needs several decades of intense effort, which will include, among other things, the effort to practice strict economy and combat waste i.e., policy building up our country through diligence and frugality.

Diligence and frugality should be practiced in running factories and shops and all state-owned, cooperative and other enterprises. This principle of diligence and frugality should be observed in everything. This principle of economy is one of the basic principles of socialist-democratic economics. Sabah is a big State, but she is still poor. It will take several decades to make Sabah prosperous. Even then we still have to observe the principle of diligence and frugality. But it is in the coming few decades, during the series of five-year plans, that we must particularly advocate diligence and frugality, that we must pay special attention in economy.

Wherever we happen to be, we must treasure our manpower and material sources, and must not take a short view and indulge in wastefulness and extravagance. Wherever we are, from the very first year of our work we must bear in mind the many years to come, the protracted struggle or fight that we must be maintained, the counter offensive, and the work of reconstruction after our political rival’s expulsion. On the one hand, never be wasteful and extravagant; on the other, actively expand production. Previously, in some places people suffered a great deal because they did not take the long view and neglected economy in manpower and material resources and the expansion of production. The lesson is there and attention must be called to it.

In order to spread up this restoration and development [of agricultural production and industrial production in small towns], we must do our utmost, in the course of our struggle for the abolition of the feudal and nepotism system, to preserve all useful means of productions and of livelihood, take resolute measures against anyone’s destroying or wasting them, oppose extravagant eating and drinking and pay attention to thrift and economy.

Thrifts should be the guiding principle in the government expenditure. It should be made clear to all government workers that corruption and waste are very great crimes. Our campaigns against corruptions have already been started during the USNO government in the years 1963 to 1975, but further efforts are required. Our system of accounting must be guided by the principle of saving every cent for the mass effort, for developmental cause and for the country’s economic construction.

A dangerous tendency has shown itself of late among many of the government personnel – an unwillingness to share the joys and hardships of the masses, a concern for personal fame and gain. This is very bad. USNO’s way of overcoming it is to simplify our organization in the course of campaign to increase production and practice economy, and to transfer cadres to lower levels so that a considerable number will return to productive work. Production by the government’s business and industrial sector has to be increased to improved and lightened the burden of the masses, thereby making it possible to further expand the government saving to finance the military which is vital for defending the country from outside intrusion and to be stationed in the Eastern part of Sabah (ESSCOM) to combat the terrorists. We hate the Kampung Tanduo and Semporna incidents. In addition, it has had immediate side-effects. They are as follows:

1. Improved relation between officers and men. Officers and men work together in production and become like brothers.

2. Better attitude to labor. …. since the government’s statutory bodies produce for its own support to the government, the attitude to labor must be improved and loafer ways to overcome.

3. Strengthen discipline. Far from weakening discipline in struggle or battle and our masses and military life, labor discipline in production actually will strengthen it.

4. Improve relations between the government, military and the people. Once the armed forces and the masses begin to “keep houses” for themselves, encroachments upon the property of people seldom or never occur. At the military and the people exchange labor and help each other in production, the friendship between them is strengthened.

5. Less grumbling from the masses/people about the government and improved relation between the two.

6. An impetus to the great production campaign of the people. Once the statutory government’s industrial bodies engage in production, the seed for government and other organizations to do likewise becomes more obvious, and the do so energetically, also the seed for universal campaign of the whole people to increase production naturally become more obvious, and this too is carried on more energetically.

Some people say that if the government goes for production, they will be unable to do their work. This is a false argument. In recent years the government industrial statutory bodies have undertaken small work in production and was noted that it did not affect their governmental work. We would therefore suggest the government to go for big production. The Productions of exportable commodities which will help increase the government financial reserve.

THE UNITY

The unification of our country, the unity of our people and the unity of our various nationalities - these are the basic guarantees of the sure triumph of our cause. It is only the unity of the people’s Democratic Party that the unity of the whole nation can be achieved, and it is only through the unity of the whole class, and the whole nation that the enemy can be defeated and the national democratic revolution accomplished.

We shall solidly unite all the forces of our Party on democratic centralist principles of organization and discipline. We shall unite with the comrade if he abides by the Party’s Programmed, Constitution and decisions.

The democratic way of resolving contradictions among the people was epitomized in 1942 (Japanese invasion) in the formula “unity, criticism, unity”. To elaborate, it starts from the desire for unity, resolving contradictions through criticism or struggle and arriving at a new unity on a new basis. In our experience this is the correct method of resolving contradictions among the people.

This (our) army achieved remarkable unity in its own ranks and with those outside of its ranks. Internally there is unity between officers and men, between the higher and lower ranks, and between military work, political work and rear service work; and externally, there is unity between the army and the people, between the army and government organizations. Unity between the army and the people had helped Malaya in 1945 and Malaysia in 1963 to defeat the Japanese and the communist. It is imperative to overcome anything that impairs this unity.

DARE TO STRUGGLE AND DARE TO WIN

People of Malaysia unite to defeat the Japanese and Communist aggressors and all their running dogs! During the past. People of Sabah and Sarawak, be courageous, dare to fight, defy difficulties and advance wave upon wave. Then the whole wealth and natural resources will belong to the people of Sabah. Monsters of all kinds must be defeated.

The USNO Party of Sabah having made a clear-headed appraisal of the international and domestic situation on this basis of the science of democracy reorganized that all by reactionaries at home and abroad had to be defeated and could be defeated through unity. When dark cloud appeared in the sky, we pointed out that they are only temporary, that the darkness would soon pass and the sun break through.

Historically, the reactionary forces on the verge of extension invariably conduct a last desperate struggle against revolutionary forces, and some revolutionaries are to be deluded for a time by phenomenon of outward strength but inner weakness, failing to grasp the essential fact that the rival is nearing extinction while they are approaching victory.

If anyone belittle us and if the conditions are favorable for a challenge, we would certainly act in self-defense to wipe out our challengers resolutely, thoroughly, wholly and completely (we do not take harsh action rashly, but we do act promptly, we must win). We must never be cowed by the bluster of our political rival. We will go back to the masses to tell them that there wasn’t the Federation of Malaysia if USNO leaders had not taken the initiative to convince the people of Sabah to agree to join the Federation on the 16th September, 1963. Who doesn’t know this story? Everybody knows.

As far as USNO’s desire is concerned, it doesn’t want to fight even for a single day. But if circumstances force it to fight, it can fight to the finish. This means that the members of the Party will continue the good work of USNO which brought Sabah into the Malaysian Federation fold. We will see to it that feudal, cronyism, nepotism and corruption will be extinguished in Sabah.

We are for peace. But so long Kuala Lumpur refuses to give up its arrogant and unreasonable demand for the wealth and natural resources of Sabah and in scheme to extend control of land then we have to fight for it. The only course for the people of Sabah is to remain determined to go on fighting for its right of ownership of the natural resources side by side with the Sarawakian people. Not that we are rebel-like. We are willing to stop making noise once our social and economic rights are returned to the people of Sabah.

The oppressed peoples and nations must not pin their hopes for liberation on “sensibleness” of imperialism and lackeys. We will only triumph by strengthening our unity and by preserving our struggle.

No matter when this country-wide civil quarrel breaks out, we must be well prepared. If it comes early, say, tomorrow morning, we should also be prepared. That is point one. In the national and domestic situation it is possible that for a time the quarrel or fight may be kept restricted in scale and localized. That is point two. Point one is what we should prepare for, point two is what has existed for a long time. In short we must be prepared. Being prepared we shall be able to deal properly with all kinds of complicated situations.

SELF RELIANCE AND ARDOUS STRUGGLE

On what basis should our policy rests? It should rest on our own strength, and that means regeneration through one’s efforts. We are not alone; the state and people of Sabah which/who opposed to imperialism are our friends. Nevertheless, we stress regeneration through our own efforts. Relying on the law of freedom we ourselves organize, we can defeat Sabah’s enemies and outside reactionaries.

We stand for self-reliance. We hope for federal aid but cannot be dependent on it; we depend on our own efforts, on the creative power of the whole good leadership of our Party leaders and the entire people.

To win country-wide victory is only the first step in a long march towards a free State. The people struggle is great, but the road after the struggle will be longer, the work greater and more arduous. This must be made clear now in the Party. The comrades must be helped to remain modest, prudent and free from arrogance and rashness in our style of work. The comrades must be helped to preserve the style of plain living and struggle. We must thoroughly clear away all ideas among our cadres of winning easy victories through good luck, without hard and bitter struggle, without sweet and blood.

We should carry out constant propaganda among the people on the fact of Sabah progress in Malaysia and the bright future ahead figured by USNO Party so that they will build their confidence in the Party struggle to pursue victory. At the same time, we must tell the people and tell our comrades that there will be twists and turns in our road. There are still many obstacles and difficulties along the road of our struggle for victory. The re-registration of USNO assumed that the difficulties would be more then less. We don’t like to think much about difficulties. We must look at the bright side of things. But difficulties are facts; we must recognize as many difficulties as there are and should not adopt“policy non-recognition”. We must recognize difficulties, analyze them and combat them. There are no straight roads in the world; we must be prepared to follow road which twists and turns not to try to get things on the cheap. It must not be imagined that one fine morning all the reactionaries will go down on the knees of their own accord. In a word, while the prospects are bright, the road has twists and turns. There are still many difficulties ahead which we must not overlook. By uniting with the entire people in a common effort, we can certainly overcome difficulties and win victory. No one can stop us to achieve all our visions, unless our USNO leaders, themselves give up for personal gains and money from the sale of the Party. We must combat this type of leaders’ attitudes.

Anyone who only sees the bright side but not the difficulties cannot fight effectively for the accomplishment of the Party’s tasks.

The wealth of society is created by the workers, peasants, and working intellectuals. If they take their destiny into their own hands, follow the democratic line and take the active attitude in solving problems instead of evading them, there will be no difficulty in the country which we cannot overcome.

The members throughout the Party must take all this fully into account and be prepared to overcome the difficulties with an indomitable will and in the planned way. The reactionary forces and we both have difficulties. But the difficulties of the reactionary forces are insurmountable because they are forces on the verge of death and no future. Our difficulties can be overcome because we are new and rising forces and have a bright future.

In time of difficulties we must not lose sight of our achievements, must see the bright future and must pluck up our courage. New things always, have no experience difficulties and setbacks as they grow. It is sheer fantasy to imagine that the cause is socialism is all plain sailing and easy success, without difficulties and setbacks or exertion of tremendous efforts. At time in the political struggle, the difficulties outweigh the favorable conditions, and so constitute the principal aspect of the condition, and the favorable conditions constitute the secondary aspect. But through their effort of struggle can overcome the difficulties step by step and open up a favorable new situation; that a difficulty situation yield place to favorable one.

What is work? Work is struggle. There difficulties and problems in those places for us to overcome and solve. We go there to work and struggle to overcome these difficulties. A good member is one who is more eager to go where the difficulties are greater.

If I cannot finish the work until I die, my sons will continue my work, and if my sons cannot complete the work while they are alive, then my grandsons and great-great grandsons will inherit the will to finish my work. I am sure the work will be done, and I will hear the sigh of great-great grandsons “God grace I have fulfilled my obligation finishing my great-great grand-fathers’ work!”

SERVING THE PEOPLE

We must be modest and prudent, guard against arrogant and rashness, and serve the Sabah people heart and soul.

Our departure is to serve the people whole-heartedly and never for a moment divorce ourselves from the masses, to proceed in all cases from the interests of the people and not from one’s self-interest or from the interest of a small group, and to identify our responsibility to the people with our responsibility to the leading organ of the Party.

The organs of state must practice democratic centralism, they must rely on the masses and the personnel must serve the people.

USNO member’s spirit, its vowed devotion to others without any thought of self, must be shown its boundless sense of responsibility in its work and its boundless warm-heartedness towards all the members and the people. Every member must learn from it.

We must all learn the spirits of absolute selflessness from it. With this spirit everyone can be useful to people. A member’s ability may be great or small, but if he has this spirit, he is already a noble-minded pure, and a man of moral integrity and above vulgar interests, a man who is of value to the people. Our USNO Party and its loyal members lead by our genius supreme Councils are battalion of the struggle for equality. These group members of USNO are wholly dedicated to the liberation of the people and work entirely for the Sabah people’s interests.

All our cadres, whatever their ranks are servants of the people of Sabah, and whatever, we do is to serve the people. How, then can be reluctant to discard any of our bad traits. Our duty is to hold ourselves responsible to the people. Every word, every act, and every policy must conform to the people’s interests, if mistakes occur, they must be corrected – that is what being responsible to the people means.

Whenever there is a struggle there is sacrifice, and failure is a common occurrence. But we have the interests of the people and sufferings of the great majority at heart. and when the cherished for the people it is a worthy loss. Nevertheless, we must do our best to avoid unnecessary sacrifice.

All men must die, but death can vary in significant. Death befalls all men alike it may be heavier, than mount Kinabalu or lighter than feather. To die for the people is weightier then Mount Kinabalu, but to work for the people and die for Sabah is lighter than a feather – USNO is ready for all these.

CORRECTING MISTAKEN IDEAS

Even if we achieve a gigantic success in our work, there is no reason whatsoever to feel conceited and arrogant. Modesty helps one to go forward, whereas conceit makes one lag behind. This is the truth that we must always bear in mind. Let’s stop for a moment, and think why Sabah lags of developments? Why Sabah is poor although it has resources? Why many government departments headed by Malayan? When the leaders in the government are incapable for sure they will make mistakes cause the government to lose everything. The Party ruling and administering the government of the day must be defeated in elections. Victory will only thrive if mistaken ideas are corrected.

Touching on the failure of the Sabah Local Parties in all the previous elections, USNO had found three main reasons: 1. Disunity of the people of Sabah through the creation of many small unreliable parties. 2. Corruptions and thirdly, Nepotism and self-interest attitude. Disunity makes a party or organization weak disable it from serving the rakyat and the state effectively. When an organization is disunited the bigger group will become the master. Corruption on the other hand is the second which will cause the needy to vote for the ruling party for only RM50.00 bribe and suffer on the rest of their lives. Believe it or not the Basisan National spent a lot of Public fund to pay (RM50.00) to the voters as corruption and the third thing is due to self-interest. An example of “self-interest” is the formation of racial political parties like the UPKO-PBRS-PBS, parties that based on one race of people. The Party’s leaders are only interested in Minister’s posts disregarding the unity of the KadazanDusun people.

Another new development is the selling or dissolving parties to the Barisan National for examples: Party Keadilan Sabah led by the late Mark Koding was dissolved for getting post in the Federal cabinet and Party Berjaya and the old USNO which was cheated. We hope the re-registered USNO learns all these and make correction of the past mistaken ideas of the USNO leaders. Understanding, this historical weakness USNO will be in the good track to pursue victory.

With victory, certain moods may grow within the Party – arrogance, the airs of a self-styled hero, inertia and unwillingness to make progress, love of pleasure and distaste for continued hard living, with victory the people will be grateful to us and the bourgeoisie will come forward to flatter us. It has been proved that the rival cannot conquer us by the force of arms. However the flattery of the bourgeoisie may conquer the weak-willed in our ranks. There may be some enemies, who were not conquered with guns and were worthy of the name heroes for standing up to these enemies, but who cannot withstand sugar-coated bullets; they will be defeated by sugar-coated bullets. USNO must guard against such a situation.

Many things may become baggage, may become encumbrances, if cling to them blindly and uncritically. Let us take some illustrations. Having made mistakes, you may feel that, come what may, you are saddled with them and so become dispirited; if you have not made mistakes, you may feel that you are free from error and so become conceited. Lack of achievement in work may breed pessimism and depression while achievement may breed pride and arrogance. A comrade with a short record of struggle may shriek responsibility on this account, while a veteran may become appointed because of his long record of struggle. Worker and peasant comrades, because of pride in their class of origin, may look down upon intellectuals, while intellectuals because they have a certain amount of knowledge, may look down upon worker and peasant comrades. Any specialized skill may be capitalized on and so may lead to arrogance and contempt of others. Even one’s age may become ground for conceit. The young generation Y, because they are bright and capable, may look down upon the old; and the old; because they have rich experience, may look down upon the young. All such things become encumbrances or baggage if there is no critical awareness. Some comrades in the Party have become arrogant and high-handed in their behavior towards the members, the people, the government and the Party, always blaming the comrades doing local work but never themselves, always seeing their own achievement but never their own shortcomings, and always welcoming flattery but never criticism the members must eradicate these faults.

Hard work is like load placed before us, challenging us to shoulder it. Some loads are light, some heavy. Some people prefer the light to the heavy; the pick the light and shove the heavy on to others. That is not good attitude. Some comrades are different; they have ease and comfort to others and take the heavy loads themselves; they are the first to bear hardship, the last to enjoy comforts. They are good comrades. We should all learn from their good spirit.

There not a few people who are irresponsible in their work, preferring the light to the heavy, shoving the heavy loads on to others and choosing the easy ones for themselves. At every turn they think of themselves before others. When the make some small contribution, they sell with pride and brag about it for that others will not know. They feel no warmth towards comrades and the people but are cold, indifferent and apathetic. In fact such people are not good in the Party, or at least cannot be counted as a Party loyalist or fighter.

They [USNO members] must grasp the principle of subordinating the needs of the part to the needs of the whole. If a proposal appears feasible, for a partial situation but not for the situation as a whole, then the part must give way to the whole. Conversely, if the proposal is not feasible for the part but feasible in the light of the situation as a whole, again the part must give way to the whole. This is what is meant by considering the situation as a whole.

Pleasure-seeking - In USNO Party there are also quite a few people whose individualism find expression in pleasure-seeking. They always hope that their divisions and branches march into all the Parliamentary, States constituencies, and to the districts and villages. They want to go there not for pleasure-seeking but to work and serve the people. The last thing they want is to audit the social and economic developments rendered by the present government to the people.

We must oppose the tendency towards selfish departmentalism by which the interests of one’s own branches are looked after to the exclusion of those of others. Whoever is indifferent to the difficulties of others, refuses to transfer cadres to other divisions and branches on the request, or releases only the inferior ones, ‘using the neighbour’s branch as an outlet for his outflow”, and does not give the slightest consideration to other departments, localities or people – such a person is a selfish departmentalist who has entirely lost the spirit of a Samaritan. The Lack of consideration for the whole and complete indifference to other divisional or branch, localities and other member’s characteristics of a selfish departmentalist. We must intensify our effort to educate such person and to make them understand that selfish departmentalism is a sectarian tendency which comes very dangerous, if allowed to develop.

Liberalism manifests itself in various ways. To let thing slide for the sake of peace, victory and friendship when a person has clearly gone wrong, and refrain from principled argument because he is an old acquaintance, friend, a loved one, a fellow townsman, a schoolmate, an old colleague or old subordinate. Or to touch on the matter lightly instead of going into it thoroughly, so to keep on good terms. The result is that both the Party and individual are harmed. This is one type of liberalism.

To indulge in irresponsible criticism in private instead of actively putting forward one’s suggestion to the Party. To say nothing to the people to their faces but to gossip behind their backs, or to say nothing at a meeting but to gossip afterwards. To show no regard at all for the principle of collective life but to follow one’s own inclination. This is a second type.

To let thing drift if they do not affect one personality; to say as little as possible while knowing perfectly well what is wrong, to be worldly wise and play safe and seek only to avoid blame. This is a third type.

Not to obey orders but to give pride of place to one’s own opinions. To demand special consideration from the Party but to reject its discipline. This is the fourth type.

To indulge in personal attacks, pick quarrels vent personal spite or seek revenge instead of entering into agreement and struggling against incorrect views for the sake of unity or progress or getting a problem solved in proper amicable way. (E.g. Ibrahaim Linggam attitude on the formation of the United Sabah National organization by Haji Dullie Bin Tiaseh). This is the fifth type.

To hear incorrect views without rebutting them and even to hear counter-revolting remarks without reporting them, but instead to take them calmly as if nothing had happened. This is the sixth type.

To be among the masses and fail to conduct propaganda and agitation or speak in the meeting or conduct investigation and inquiries among them, and instead to be indifferent to them and show no concern for their well-being, forgetting that one is a Samaritan behaving as if one were an ordinary non-USNO member. This the seventh type.

To see someone harming the interests of the masses and not feel indignant, or dissuade or stop him or reason with him, but to allow to continue. This is the eighth type.

To work half-heartedly without definite plan or direction; to work perfunctorily and muddle along – “so long as one remains an imam, goes on beating the drum of the surau”. This is the ninth type.

To regard oneself having rendered great service to the struggle, to pride oneself on being a veteran, to disdain minor assignments while quite unequal to major tasks, to be slipshod in work and slack in study. This is the tenth type.

To be aware of one mistake and yet make no attempt to correct them, taking a liberal attitude towards oneself. This is the eleventh type.

Liberalism is extremely harmful in a struggle collective. It is a corrosive which cat’s away unity, undermines cohesion, causes apathy and creates dissension. It robs the party leaders’ ranks of compact organization and strict discipline, prevents policies from being carried through and alienates the party organizations from the masses which the Party leads. It is an extremely bad tendency.

People who are liberals look upon the principle democracy as abstract dogma. They approve democracy but are not prepared to t practice it in full; they not prepared to replace their liberalism by democracy. There must be a limit of democracy. These people have democracy, but have their liberalism as well – the talk about democracy but practice liberalism; the apply democracy to others but practice liberalism to themselves. They keep both kinds of goods in stock and find a use for each. This how the minds of some certain people work.

The people state’s protects the people. Only when the people have such a state can they educate and remold themselves by democratic methods on a country-wide scale, with everyone taking part, and shake off influence of domestic and foreign reactionaries (which is still very strong, will survive for a long time and cannot be quickly destroyed), rid themselves of the bad habits and ideas acquired in the old society, not allow themselves to be led astray by reactionaries, and continue to advance towards a socialist and democratic society.

It is not hard for one to do a bit of good. What is hard is to do well all one’s life and never do anything bad, to act consistently in the interests of the broad masses, the young people and the revolution, and to indulge in arduous struggle for decade on end. This is the hardest thing of all.