KOTA KINABALU – Proposing a new agreement to resolve the issue of Sabah’s rights is an affront to the state as well as Sarawak, said Warisan’s deputy president Datuk Darell Leiking.
He said Barisan Nasional (BN) deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan should first solve the four remaining issues out of 21 issues identified under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) Cabinet Special Committee.
“Even the current (demands under) MA63 cannot be resolved, what more a new agreement! I would say, don’t play with the MA63, Sabah, and Sarawak.
“Solve the four remaining issues first before we talk about a new deal!” Leiking said in a Facebook post yesterday.
His remarks follow Mohamad’s proposal for a New Malaysia Agreement as a more concrete way forward to realise the state’s rights and demands instead of the MA63 that led to the formation of Malaysia.
“A total of 17 issues of the 21 issues were resolved, and PN/BN led by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin inherited the remaining four issues. Unfortunately, since March 2020, not a whimper of the remaining issues has been resolved by the government now,” he said.
Leiking said any new deal would require the Truth Commission to reveal how much Sabah had lost over the years, including the state’s fiscal loss.
“So Mat Hassan, get your vice-president who is the prime minister to just snap his fingers and finalise the 21 issues now!” he urged.
Meanwhile, Sabah Star president Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan has been mulling the same idea – a New Malaysia Agreement – since May last year.
In a statement today, he clarified that a New Malaysia Agreement is necessary to clearly define the status of each entity – Sabah, Sarawak, and Malaya.
He said the MA63 was signed on a different premise and at a period when Sabah and Sarawak did not have a voice to agree or disagree with any of the terms in the agreement.
“A new agreement is the only approach to address the question of Malaysia. I am glad that Mohamad mentioned a new agreement, however, I do not necessarily agree with his reasoning.
“For Sabah Star, we want the new deal to allow us greater independence and freedom for us to move forward. Sabahans do not wish to be bound down to Malaya’s agenda.
“When it comes to financial and development issues, Sabah and Sarawak must have the freedom to dictate our own future according to our own aspirations, not the federal’s,” he said.
Regarding Sabah BN chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin’s statement that Sabah BN will decide on its relationship with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah, Jeffrey said Sabah Star is patient and will wait to see what Sabah BN decides.
“We are not in a hurry, and we don’t want to jump the gun.
“It could have just been a political statement, I don’t know. I also could say that Star has ten options. But I do hope it is just a political statement,” he said. – The Vibes, July 4, 2022
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