KUALA LUMPUR – Sabah’s slower development compared with other resource-rich regions is largely driven by federal political influence and a lack of unity among local leaders, according to Warisan vice-president Datuk Junz Wong.
Speaking on a recent Trick Lama episode hosted by Editor-in-Chief Terence Fernandez, alongside Big Boom Media executive director Datuk Ahiruddin Attan, also known as Rocky Bru, and chief executive officer Datuk Zainul Arifin Mohammed Isa, Wong said Sabah has long struggled to convert its natural wealth into tangible improvements in living standards.
Wong, who is the former Sabah State Minister for Agriculture and Food Industries, contrasted the state trajectory with Sarawak, which he said had progressed further due to stronger political cohesion and a more consistent focus on safeguarding state interests.
“Sabah didn’t have a better life but if you compare the life of Sarawakians, they have been much better,” he said.
Wong cautioned that the development gap between the two Bornean states could widen further if Sabahans fail to fully grasp the scale of their structural challenges.
“I always say this, if the Sabahans are not awakened or don’t realise what’s happening to us and we are still very happy about what is happening, eventually in the next 20 years you will see another Singapore in Sarawak,” he added.
He also attributed Sabah’s difficulties to the presence of Peninsular-based political parties, which he claimed has weakened local cohesion.
“Because Sabah has been penetrated by Malayan political parties and leaders and they are able to come into Sabah, divide our leaders and of course partly to be bad,” said the Tanjung Aru assemblyman, adding that Sabahan leaders were “not strong enough, are not united enough like the Sarawakians.”
He argued that Sarawak’s leadership has remained more unified in defending state rights, while Sabah’s political landscape has become increasingly fragmented over time.
Wong further questioned whether federal political parties would genuinely prioritise Sabah’s long-term development, suggesting that resource extraction remains the dominant interest.
He said he believed the outcome would remain unchanged regardless of who leads the federal government, including Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim or future administrations.
“Whoever sits there that’s why I always say this whoever sits there is going to be the same be it the current Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim or before or the next one it’s going to be the same because whoever sits there will be collecting the wealth from Sabah,” the Kota Kinabalu division chief said.
Wong also alleged that political commitments made to Sabah are often reversed after parties gain power.
“Once I fought for you and we won you are being kicked out you are being overthrown.”
“I sit there now I realise that hey that money that I never expected to be so much is now coming into my coffin, so should I give this money back to him or not? They will find a lot of reasons not to give it back to you because it’s so much,” he said.
Highlighting Sabah’s resource base, he noted the state’s significance in oil, gas, timber, palm oil and mining, arguing that its development level does not reflect its economic contribution.
“Sabah has the biggest oil reserve in Malaysia. The second is Sarawak. Sarawak has the biggest gas reserve in Malaysia and the second is Sabah,”
He added that Sabah had long been a key driver of national commodity production.
“Until the rubber depression happened, then came the timber industry. Sabah was still the best, still the biggest timber producer. After that, you had the palm oil industry, and now you have mining, oil and gas, and other sectors.
“Then now (we talk about palm oil. We are still the biggest palm oil producers in the whole of Malaysia today. Look at Sabah. It’s impossible (to overlook).”
Wong questioned how Sabahans could perceive federal treatment as equitable given the state’s economic importance.
“So how can the Sabahans look at Sabahans and say, the federal government has treated us well and fair?” he asked.
“Of course, these political parties from Malaya come in and claim they have done us justice. How could that ever happen? It wouldn’t.”
Drawing comparisons with Johor’s downstream oil and gas sector, he said Sabah should have developed similar industries given its reserves.
“You go to Johor, Johor has a very big downstream oil and gas (sector), but they barely have any oil. Sabah is one of the biggest oil and gas (produces). We don’t even have our own ‘tong gas’ (gas cylinder).”
“It’s a joke,” he added.
His remarks echoed sentiments previously expressed by former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad in November 2025, in which Mahathir said Sabah and Sarawak’s resources required federal expertise, capital and infrastructure to be fully developed for national benefit.
Mahathir stressed that Malaysia’s petroleum wealth was the result of both natural endowments in Sabah and Sarawak and the technical capabilities provided through the federation. – June 19, 2026