KOTA KINABALU – Putrajaya needs to take affirmative action to redress the imbalance in economic and political power between East and West Malaysia to move forward beyond Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), an online forum has concluded.
Concurring that economic advancement in Sabah and Sarawak has been neglected after 58 years of being part of Malaysia, the panellists proposed more autonomy with self-governance in the Borneo states.
They said the federal government should only control matters such as defence and foreign affairs.
The MA63 forum, which also delved on federal failure to fulfil contractual obligations under MA63, was organised by a group of concerned citizens called Malaysia First.
The session today was chaired by Sabahan Datuk Johan Arriffin Samad. The four panellists were author of MA63 books Zainnal Ajamain of Sabah, lawyer and former assemblyman Dominique Ng of Sarawak, and academicians Professor Datuk Rajah Rasiah and Bridget Welsh.
Johan, Zainnal and Ng pointed out the unfairness in revenue distribution and how political power has been controlled by Putrajaya.
Rajah and Welsh also started a discussion on economic inequity and poverty that have affected the two states despite them being rich with oil.
The overall discussion focused on the 21 points negotiated between the chief ministers of Sabah and Sarawak and the former Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government. Of these, 17 have been approved.
The four remaining ones yet to be resolved are related to the states’ oil resources and continental shelf boundaries.
21-point report placed under OSA
The report on the 21 points has since been placed under the Official Secrets Act (OSA), creating unhappiness among the people of Sabah and Sarawak, the forum heard.
There is no further news under the current Perikatan Nasional (PN) government on whether these 21 points are to be implemented and whether the amendments to Section 1(2) of the Federal Constitution to restore Sabah and Sarawak rights will be re-tabled in Parliament.
Malaysia First is a group of like-minded Malaysian patriots with different backgrounds. It has thousands of members linked via WhatsApp and Facebook participating in everyday discussions on wide-ranging subjects affecting the nation.
The forum was part of a series of exploratory discussions titled ‘‘The Zoom on MA63: What Next?” on issues affecting national unity.
Prior to this, the first Zoom session was on a proposal to discuss the second National Consultative Council (NCC).
Among the problems discussed were the state boundaries and the validity of MA63, with Ng advocating a confederation rather than a federation, where foreign affairs and defence are federal matters, with the state undertaking other functions of government.
He said that there is attrition in the representatives from East Malaysia in the Dewan Rakyat whenever electoral boundaries are redrawn. He said when Sarawak and Sabah should by right have half of the total parliamentary seats as a check.
Lawyer G.K. Ganesan said there was an erosion of state rights under the federal constitution that was the result of collusion between states and Putrajaya, which must be redressed if national unity and integration are to be achieved.
Rajah saw the dissatisfaction stemming from an unequal sharing of state resources, and urged for a more equitable formula.
Providing a historical perspective, he pointed out that Penang and Kelantan were backward states after independence but were able to improve in spite of being part of a federation, stressing that there is “no reason Sabah and Sarawak should not do well if the political will is there.”
Welsh concurred, emphasising that because of the inequality and perceived lack of respect for state resources by the centre, the federal government is always blamed for infrastructure and economic shortfalls.
She stressed on the importance of bread-and-butter issues as there is significant poverty in both Sabah and Sarawak. The issue of MA63, she said, is an elite narrative.
Because both Sabah and Sarawak are vulnerable geopolitically to external forces, romanticising the past is not a wise act, she added.
Professor Jomo Sundaram who was present suggested that both states have done well at their local levels in controlling the current pandemic, which indicates that in spite of problems with the federal government both states have better health management. – The Vibes, February 6, 2021
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