KOTA KINABALU – Sabah will oppose attempts to enforce the Territorial Sea Act 2021 (Act 750) that limits the state boundaries to three nautical miles.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan said the act is unconstitutional as it violates Article 1 (3) of the federal constitution, which states the territories of each state are the territories set immediately before Malaysia Day.
The Sabah assembly has never assented to the expansion of the act here, he said in a statement today.
“Changing the boundaries of Sabah needs a majority vote in the assembly. Except for the period when Labuan was given away and made a federal territory in 1985, we have never changed our boundaries.
“Losing a territory is a heartbreaking experience for any independent nation. Changing our boundaries without our consent is just as painful as losing our territories and, trust me, the people will be furious.”
Jeffrey, who attended a briefing on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) chaired by the chief minister yesterday, said the federal government should not insist on extending the act across the South China Sea to Sabah and Sarawak as it was never agreed on by either state.
He added argument that the Borneo states should also adopt the act simply because Peninsular Malaysia has is illogical.
“We are separate regions. London does not go to Scotland and seize their territories on their whim and fancy. The same principle holds true for this federation.
“While we are on the subject, I’d like to bring up the fact that the federal government illegally surrendered Blocks L and M within Sabah boundaries in 2008 to Brunei. We want them to be recovered as well,” he said.
The issue on Territorial Sea Act 2012 is one of the few legal issues that has remained unresolved that also include Sabah’s oil and gas resources, despite several rounds of meetings since 2017. – The Vibes, April 13, 2021
