PRESS STATEMENT
“Fulfill Malaysia Agreement or Go Separate Ways
- Dr. Jeffrey”
............................................................
Kota Kinabalu: “Now that the installation of Pehin
Sri Taib as the 7th Governor of Sarawak has
taken place, the leaders of Sabah and Sarawak
need to focus and speak with one voice that the
Malaysia Agreement needs to be implemented
and fulfilled” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan,
STAR Sabah Chief, commenting on Malaysia’s top
judge, Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria that Sabah
and Sarawak formed Malaysia and that they are
key partners in the Federation of Malaysia.
And equally important, Tun Arifin had clearly
stated the correct history that Malaya gained
independence on 31 August 1957 and that
Malaysia was only formed in 1963 with special
safeguards for Sabah and Sarawak in their
constitutional arrangement.
Not only has the terms and conditions of the
formation of Malaysia as contained in the
Malaysia Agreement 1963 and the various
documents and verbal assurances and promises
not been complied with, there were numerous
constitutional amendments which eroded the
special rights and position of Sabah and Sarawak.
They were highlighted in the book 'The
Constitutional Rights of Sabah and Sarawak' that
was launched by the Chief Justice recently.
The common stand and voice of the Borneo
States should be in no uncertain terms. The
Malaysia Agreement must be fulfilled or all the 3
nation-states must be allowed to go separate
ways as it is the wish and desire of a slight
majority of Sabahans and Sarawakians.
Any other stand will give the Malayan federal
leaders the wrong assumption and presumption
that Sabah and Sarawak are not serious in their
demands for the terms of the formation of
Malaysia to be complied with.
They will continue
to remain comfortable in their high offices in
Putrajaya and do not care for Sabahans and
Sarawakians until it is time for elections.
For instance, PM Najib had promised the BN
partners in Sarawak that there would be a
Cabinet re-shuffle after the Umno general
assembly in early December 2013 to
accommodate MPs from Sarawak whose parties
were dissatisfied with the distribution of
ministerial posts after the May general elections.
Despite Sabah and Sarawak holding kingmaker
positions, Najib has failed to undertake the
Cabinet re-shuffle since then.
Perhaps the Sarawak BN parties with the support
of TYT Taib in the background should just leave
BN and see what happens next since the PM has
seen no urgency to consider the interests of the
BN parties there.
If so, it won’t be surprising that the PM, DPM
and top guns in Umno including ex-PMs making
a beeline for Kuching to persuade the Sarawak
BN components and the Governor from ditching
BN.
The continuation of the down-grading of Sabah
and Sarawak as the 12th and 13th States in
Malaysia contrary to what was intended in 1963
as equal partners can no longer be accepted.
The continuation of the rape and pillage of
Sabah and Sarawak’s oil wealth and revenues
and marginalization in development allocations
can no longer be condoned.
Even in times of need, the people of Sabah and
Sarawak are treated shabbily and not equals to
other Malaysians in the Peninsula as can be seen
in the recent federal flood aid. In the Peninsula,
aid in cash and in kind was poured from various
ministries and other quarters while in Sabah and
Sarawak they received virtually nothing from the
federal government.
After 50 years of marginalization and
victimization, the Malaysia Agreement and all its
promises and assurances need to be
implemented and fulfilled. There was to be a
review after 10 years, yet 40 years later, nothing
appears to be on the horizon. Even a motion to
discuss the matter in Parliament was rejected as
not urgent.
If after 50 years, it is not urgent, do not expect
Sabahans and Sarawakians to wait another 50
years for it to be urgent.
The rumblings of discontentment amongst the
people in Sabah and Sarawak are at its highest
point with a slight majority wanting Sabah and
Sarawak to opt out of Malaysia.
Their sentiments
are further fanned and fuelled by Malay ultras
and religious bigots who keep insisting that
Malaysia is land of the Malays and that the other
Malaysians are to be chased out.
Yet, the PM and the federal government has
taken no action to stop such seditious and
treasonous acts or to correct the Malayan
misconception that Malaya is Malaysia when it is
clear as daylight that without Sabah and
Sarawak, the key partners, there is no Malaysia.
If Najib is serious with his national reconciliation
plan, it must include the review and
implementation of the terms and conditions of
the formation of Malaysia. Otherwise, like
Singapore in 1965, there should be an amicable
parting of separate ways for the Borneo States.
Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan
Chairman
STAR Sabah
02 March 2014ty
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