KOTA KINABALU, Aug 9 — Former Banggi assemblyman Datuk Amir Kahar Tun Datu Mustapha has re-entered the political arena, joining the Sabah-based Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star).
The 75-year-old five-term state assemblyman and three-term MP for Marudu, submitted his membership form to Star President Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan at a low-key ceremony here on Wednesday, witnessed by senior party figure Datuk Jerry Ambuting Mohd Said.
Amir Kahar is the son of the late Tun Datu Mustapha Datu Harun, Sabah’s first Head of State and third Chief Minister.
Despite his long absence from active politics, Amir said the gravity of Sabah’s economic crisis and the pervasiveness of corruption compelled him to return.
“I’m less than 25 years away from turning 100, yet here I am, coming back, because I’m alarmed.
“This isn’t a war we’re fighting, its economic collapse. Corruption is everywhere. If not for that, I’d simply live out my days in peace,” he said.
Describing his comeback as a moral and spiritual obligation, Amir said he had spent much of the past year reflecting on the path forward.
“This is my way of doing good, by returning to the political fight against corruption.
“I’ve thought long and hard, and I’m standing again with Dr Jeffrey not just a friend, but a brother-in-struggle. We’ve fought together since 1986. We were only ever separated by those who feared our unity.”
He also took aim at the state’s entrenched poverty, dismissing official categories of “hardcore” or otherwise. “To me, poverty is poverty and Sabah, once rich in resources, is today the poorest state in the country,” he said.
Calling for a united front to protect the future of Sabah’s youth, Amir urged the people not to remain passive.
“We elders have tasted hardship and prosperity. But the young those 15, 20, 30 years old they don’t know it yet. It’s our duty to ensure they have a future. These hands carry our fate, for better or worse,” he said. — Daily Express
