[UPDATED] Chin Huat should know better than to stoke separatist sentiments: Umno veep 

KUALA LUMPUR – Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin has lambasted political researcher Wong Chin Huat for purportedly propagating separatist sentiments between East and West Malaysia.

In a Facebook post yesterday, Khaled said he vehemently opposed Wong’s assertion that many in Sabah and Sarawak are looking forward to Peninsula Malaysia “kicking them out” of the federation.

Khaled said Wong’s assessment is without merit and he, as an academic, should be more responsible and astute in providing his opinion to the public.

“Fanning the flames of separation from Malaysia by implicating every dissatisfaction with Umno is not a mature or progressive approach.

“I hope academics should be more responsible in giving their opinion. Do not take advantage of a difficult situation. Stop calling for disunity or separation,” he said.

The former Johor menteri besar also said that such a statement not only fans sentiments of statehood that demean the spirit of cooperation within the federation, but also does not focus on the real issues within Sabah and Sarawak.

“The issues in Sabah and Sarawak should be resolved by ensuring the development agenda in both states is implemented more effectively, not by leaving Malaysia,” he said.

Khaled was responding to a Facebook post by Wong, who had said that certain people in Sabah and Sarawak want to be kicked out of the federation just as Umno had done to Singapore, allegedly because Umno could not tolerate the People’s Action Party’s threat of control over the Malaysian federation. 

Wong later clarified to The Vibes that his comments were meant as “reverse psychology” to provoke thought in response to a Borneo friend who preferred the two states to be kicked out of Malaysia.

Wong said that instead of asking to leave or be left alone, Sabah and Sarawak should state their aspirations on how Malaysia should be.

Citing the experiences of Indonesia, Canada and Belgium, he said well-planned and orderly decentralisation of power can mitigate separatist sentiments.

Wong also assured Khaled that while they both used different approaches and narratives, they had the same goal of wanting Malaysia to be stronger and more sustainable, and that different approaches and narratives may work well for different audiences.

In a subsequent Facebook post, Wong also said that sentiments that his Borneo friend shared about separating from Malaysia was common among Sabahans and Sarawakians, and that these feelings should be addressed by encouraging thought and discussion on how states can advance their self-interests while seeking the overall betterment of the whole country.

He then outlined steps to strengthen Malaysia including decentralisation that involves the peninsula states in negotiation, devolution of power to divisions within Sabah and Sarawak, veto for Sabah and Sarawak in an elected Senate, and a hybrid electoral system that would encourage all parties to be more national. – The Vibes, September 20, 2022