KOTA KINABALU – Fifty-eight years have passed since Sabah, Sarawak, Singapore and Malaya formed Malaysia, but all Sabahans get for their commitment to the Federation is disappointment and even sorrow, said Sabah Star leader Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan.
In a statement last night, the Sabah deputy chief minister and Keningau MP said the Federation of Malaysia started out on a promising note but Sabahans are increasingly becoming aware they have been short-changed in the partnership since then.
He said that he was visiting the Keningau Oath Stone, unveiled in 1964, in his constituency, upon which are inscribed the three basic agreements stipulated as guaranteed rights for Sabah under the federal constitution.
The three agreements are: freedom of religion in Sabah, the state government having authority over land in Sabah, and that native customs and traditions will be respected and upheld by the government.
He said that Sabah’s development has been severely stunted, even negligible, when compared with Singapore and Brunei, which opted out of the federation.
“There are many reasons for this. Our share of revenue (40%) has yet to be paid in accordance with Article 112c/112d of the federal constitution, our 10% export on petroleum duty in lieu of royalties has never been paid, and our 10% import duty on petroleum products has not been paid fully but has been replaced with a fixed amount of RM120 million since 2007.
“In terms of resources, our oil and gas have been unconstitutionally taken over by Petronas, which is 100% owned by the federal government, while our children have struggled to find jobs in federal departments in Sabah. Most of the ranks are dominated by Malayans.
Let us not forget how Sabah’s security was deliberately jeopardised by the importation of Muslim foreign labour from neighbouring countries, who were later granted backdoor citizenship and mobilised as voters to change the demography of Sabah and the political landscape through Project IC, also known as Projek Mahathir.”
Although Sabah has abundant resources, Jeffrey said the state has been made financially, economically, politically and militarily dependent on the federal government.
He added that the political powers of the state were purposely weakened by inadequate parliamentary representation that does not reflect its status as an equal partner in the federation.
“The impact of all these violations is clear: Sabah has become the poorest state in Malaysia,” he said.
Jeffrey said he believes it is important to reflect on what the Federation signifies, as well as its history and its goals, as Malaysia commemorates the formation of the nation.
“Malaysia was officially formed and proclaimed on September 16, 1963, in which the states of Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore were federated with Malaya.
“Before 1965, Sabah, Sarawak, Singapore and Malaya were all equal partners in the formation of Malaysia.
“The proclamation of Malaysia on September 16, 1963, acknowledged the nationhood status of Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore, which reflected their aspiration at the beginning of the process of forming Malaysia.
“However, the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) did not reflect this proclamation as it was signed on July 9, 1963, even before the process of forming Malaysia was complete, and at a time when Sabah and Sarawak were still colonies,” he said.
As a result, Jeffrey said, he believes it is reasonable to question why MA63 was signed before the process of forming Malaysia was complete, why it was never amended, and whether Sabah and Sarawak were federated with Malaya as a whole or with individual states within Malaya, as some have claimed.
“If we are to move forward as a federated nation, it is critical that these concerns or anomalies be resolved because we do not want to be Malayan colonies,” he said.
For this reason, Jeffrey said he has insisted that the independence of Sabah and Sarawak, the missing piece in the formation of Malaysia, be restored to the pages of this Federation’s history in order for it to be complete.
Sarawak gained self-governance on July 22, 1963, while Sabah proclaimed independence on August 31, 1963.
September 16 is a celebration of a partnership, not a colonial takeover. Sabah and Sarawak did not become part of Malaysia. Rather, we founded Malaysia together with the Federation of Malaya.
“More importantly, we should not confuse Malaya with Malaysia. Malaysia is a new federation that was established in 1963, not in 1957.
“The time has come to fulfil this partnership and the terms of this relationship,” he concluded.
Expose truth on Malaysia’s formation, says Ongkili
Meanwhile, PBS president Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili said in a message last night that the MA63 is fundamental for sustaining the federation and strengthening unity and solidarity.
The minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Sabah and Sarawak affairs said addressing non-compliances to the stated agreement is therefore crucial.
“We must always remember that there is no Federation of Malaysia if there was no Malaysia agreement.
“Many Malaysian leaders, including government administrators, have not been given due respect to the importance of MA63.
The threats to widening frustrations and unhappiness, especially among the younger generation of Sabahans and Sarawakians, are real, especially now that there is wide space for expressing discontentment and now that the young people have easy access to inaccurate information about the history of the formation of Malaysia,” he said.
In expressing his expectations this Malaysia Day, he said the truth on the formation of the country must be exposed, saying there is a need to dish the facts and take the political and emotional aspect out of the Malaysian story.
“We should engage more living historians and legal experts.
“We need to correct the meagre content on the formation of Malaysia in the school syllabus and publish widely on Malaysian history of the Malaysian formation,” he said.
Ongkili said the country also needs to bridge the gap between the economic performances of Sabah and Sarawak and the peninsula.
“It is getting harder for us, especially the politicians, to justify why there exist these huge gaps in terms of poverty level, income distribution, and physical infrastructure.
It is hard to explain to young people in the district why they have to resort to gotong-royong to fix roads and bridges when there are hardly such cases in the rural sector in Peninsular Malaysia.”
Ongkili said this requires action from the government in planning, increased development funds, economic planning and implementation of the machineries.
“Currently, there is a huge gap between the amount of funds that is provided and the actual fund that really reaches the ground.
“Further, we need more Sabahans and Sarawakians in the development planning agencies in the federal government so that our own people are involved hands-on to deliver planned development to our rural sectors,” he said.
Ongkili said he has high expectation from new Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob in keeping the commitment to develop Sabah and Sarawak as they were done by predecessors Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
“Personally, he (Ismail Sabri) has told me he is committed to keep and improve the special structure and focus to bridge the gap between Sabah and Sarawak on one hand, and the Malayan states on the other.
“The Kota Marudu MP is aware that there is a great disparity between the West and the East and that there is burning unhappiness among the youths of Sabah and Sarawak to really see and experience Wawasan Kemakmuran Bersama 2030,” he said, adding that he would be accompanying Ismail Sabri to Sabah in his official visit to the state tomorrow in conjunction with the national-level Malaysia Day celebrations. – The Vibes, September 16, 2021
