KOTA KINABALU – Malaysia should be decentralised, secular, open, and moderate in order for Sabah, Sarawak, and Peninsular Malaysia to work together as a federation.
Wisdom Foundation executive chairman Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau said that just as Sabah and Sarawak do not like to be treated monolithically as “East Malaysia” without their own identities, Malayan states should also be recognised in their own rights.
“They (the Malayan states) should not be lumped together as Malaya.
“They certainly should not be treated like they are pawns of the federal government, even if they are ruled by the same party,” he said in a statement.
Madius said it is wrong to leave Malayan states out of the negotiations on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) because they were under the federal governments of Barisan Nasional, Pakatan Harapan, and now Perikatan Nasional.
“We are now living in 2021, not 1963 when Sabah and Sarawak were negotiating with the Malayan federal government on the formation of Malaysia.
“What we need today is a transformation of Malaysia into a secular, decentralised, open, and moderate nation.
“We need to move beyond the zero-sum game mentality, which is unfortunately most entrenched in Peninsular Malaysia, and has spread to Borneo in the past decades.
“No matter how difficult, we must seek a win-win deal that simultaneously enhances the interests of the dominant region/group and empowers those in marginalised regions/groups," he said.
He said bringing Malayan states to the negotiating table on MA63 is by no means lowering the special positions of Sabah and Sarawak.
“Sabah and Sarawak will remain special and above Malayan states if all states get more power, resources and autonomy than what they currently enjoy.
“This is not at all conceding the rights of Sabah and Sarawak under MA63, as some would jump to accuse.
“This is to recognise the limitations of MA63 and to ask for more.
“And, we cannot ask for more if Malayan states are left out and involuntarily represented by the federal government,” he added.
Madius said in the endeavour to create a decentralised Malaysia, one must not mistake MA63 as perfect.
“We at the Wisdom Foundation hold that Malaysia’s federal system must be examined and renegotiated comprehensively, with (each) Malayan state present at the negotiating table, without reducing the special statuses of Sabah and Sarawak as Malaya’s equal partners,” he said.
To kick-start east-west collaboration in decentralisation, Wisdom Foundation is organising a webinar attended by two guests of honour, namely Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari and Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, as panellists.
The session is aimed at discussing the possibility of states sharing income tax revenue in a decentralised Malaysia.
Institute of Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) fellow Sri Murniati will present a paper jointly sponsored by Wisdom Foundation and Ideas on the sharing of income tax revenue in Indonesia by national and sub-national governments.
Ideas chief executive Tricia Yeoh will also be joining the panel discussion.
“We welcome all Malaysians desiring a more decentralised and truer federation, whether from Sabah, Sarawak, or Malaya, to join this meaningful conversation, which will be followed by more groundbreaking ones, at Wisdom Foundation,” said Madius. – The Vibes, February 12, 2021
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