Review, implement Sabah rights now or dissolve MA63 — Jeffrey
KUCHING: Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku
(Star) Sabah yesterday called on the federal government to immediately
invite all stakeholders to review the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) to
seriously solve the discontentments of the Borneo States.
Its party president Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said this in response
to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s statements that he was
willing to listen and discuss MA63 with Sabah and Sarawak.
“Merely opening his door and listening to Sabah and Sarawak is not
enough. He must show sincerity and act to fulfill the terms and
conditions Sabah and Sarawak agreed to form Malaysia in 1963,” said
Jeffrey through Star Sabah press statement issued in Kota Kinabalu.
Sabah and Sarawak have been played around, hoodwinked and cheated for
far too long by Malaya and the Federal government since the formation
of Malaysia by taking advantage of our political inexperience and
obliging attitudes, he said.
“The constitutional downgrading of the TYT (state governors) from Yang DiPertua Negara to Yang
Di Pertua Negeri and Sabah and Sarawak to be the 12th and 13th states
of Malaya; the robbing of our oil and gas; the Melayunisation of our
population; the granting of ICs and registration of foreigners as voters
in Project IC; the two-year rotation of the Sabah Chief Minister and
the direct rule by Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya through Umno coming into
Sabah are but merely some of the rights that have been taken away or
eroded since 1963,” said Jeffrey.
“As if this is not enough, the rights and autonomy of Sabah
negotiated and enshrined in the various constitutional documents,
including the Federal Constitution, IGC Report and MA63 were totally
ignored. Worse, the Federal government have made it sensitive even to talk about the MA63 and
even amended the Sedition Act to make it a seditious and criminal
offence in 2015,” he said.
“Even the rights of Sabah written specifically to be implemented in
the Federal Constitution, for which the Malaysian leaders are sworn to
protect, are not only ignored but moneys and revenues meant for Sabah
are stolen in breach of the Federal Constitution.
“Sabah and Sarawak which were partners with Malaya to form Malaysia
are now mere subservient, dependent states of Malaya masquerading in the
name of Malaysia,” he said.
“By exploiting resource rich Sabah and Sarawak as ‘colonies’, these
States have developed little in comparison to their potentials.
The difference and under-development is even more glaring if compared
with former compatriots Singapore and Brunei, the world’s 3rd and 5th
richest nations. In fact, and worse still, Sabah and Sarawak despite all
their oil and gas and wealth, have become the poorest state in the
Federation of Malaysia,” he added.
Sabah and Sarawak are so under-developed compared to Malaya yet, last
month, Najib agreed to build the East Coast Railway for RM55 billion,
he pointed out.
“With the drop in the ringgit the last three days, it would have now
cost more than RM60 billion with no chance of repayment from the railway
users. Eventually, it will be paid from the oil and gas from Sabah and
Sarawak. Yet not a single sen of the RM144 billion China projects will
be spent in Sabah,” he said.
“If the continuation of the down-grading of Sabah and Sarawak as the
12th and 13th States of Malaya, the rape and pillage of Sabah and
Sarawak’s oil wealth and revenues and the marginalisation and
under-development of Sabah and Sarawak continues what, then is the
future of Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysia?” he asked.
Jeffrey said the Malayan and federal leaders need to remember and be
reminded that Sabah and Sarawak are not asking for additional rights or
taking away any rights from the other States in Malaya but merely
seeking to implementation of rights that were agreed by the founding
fathers.
“Can Najib and Kuala Lumpur/Putrajaya blame the rising discontent in
these two nation-States? Can Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya blame the calls
for secession although it is not secession when parties to an agreement
choose to leave for non-compliance, it is dissolution. So,
PM Najib let us resolve the problems or dissolve the MA63. What is it going to be?” asked Jeffrey.
