Speaker Tells Sabah Youth To Pull Their Socks Up Denies Campaigning

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SABAH POLLS | Dewan Rakyat speaker Johari Abdul said no one in Malaysia is denied an opportunity, provided they are diligent and have the courage to act on their dreams.
Speaking during a visit to Kampung Kopimpinan in Putatan, Sabah today, he acknowledged that many Sabah youths begin from an uneven playing field but stressed Malaysia still offers them an opportunity to rise.
“Nobody in Malaysia, nobody is denied opportunity. If you are diligent and you have the courage to act, there is no obstacle in life.”
Johari described this as “vertical mobility,” the belief that those “from the bottom” can “climb with knowledge.”
Pressed by a reporter on how one could thrive with people with connections still wielding influence over opportunities, Johari said changes require bold efforts.
“We cannot be doing the same thing day in, day out, year in, year out, and expect different results.
“If you want to change, you have to be bold about it,” he said.
Johari added, “Leave the negative and go to the positive. And lastly, you must equip yourself with knowledge.”
Youth matters
Earlier, Johari told the villagers that his visit had nothing to do with the Sabah polls, adding it had been planned earlier.
This is the first in recent times that a sitting speaker attended an event in an area where an election is taking place.
Speaking to a crowd of nearly 200 people, he had a message for the crowd consisting of students, fisherfolk, homemakers, and small traders – the future belongs to the youth.
“You shall take over. This country, this state, this community will get a new leader like you.
Johari also stressed that leadership is not inherited through status or popularity, but earned through discipline and purpose.
“If you are a cadet, if you are a celebrity, if you are a follower, you are going nowhere. You go nowhere,” he added.
Johari also pointed out that Sabah’s youth these days live in times where digital borders matter less than physical ones, resulting in the free flow of information but often leaving the older generation in the dark due to a lack of access.
“They don’t have access. But you have access. And with that comes a responsibility.
“It is your responsibility to take this information and this technology and spread it to the villagers,” he said.
He then encouraged students to work collectively, saying that skills, confidence, and problem-solving skills grow faster in groups than in isolation.
Johari also took the opportunity to explain the youth-focused efforts he is driving in Dewan Rakyat, where he had initiated leadership programmes for school prefects, weekly political education sessions, and camps.
Sabah’s potentials
Extolling Sabah’s greatness, Johari recalled having conversations with several Russians who seemed to think Sabah was a country on its own, indicating how diverse and robust the state is.
“Sabah is… a country where you have almost everything.
Mount Kinabalu“You have the sea, you have the river, you have a cold mountain, a hot cave, a dense forest, various people, various languages, various religions, but we can live in harmony,” he said.
He contrasted this with a country he had once visited that had only “two colours… black and white”, yet had struggled with communal tensions for generations.
The comparison was gentle but pointed - Sabah’s diversity is a strength others envy but cannot replicate.
Johari also stated that many small producers across Sabah do not fail because their products are poor, but because they remain “unseen.”
“People in South Africa, people in Europe, people in Arab countries want what Sabah has.
“But how can they access it? Marketing is the answer,” he said. - Mkini

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