/The Press release issued today a copy of which has been extended to this blog is presented for the reading of all.
Many of the readers of this blog my not be aware of the promises and guarantees that were given to East Malaysians before they joined Malaysia, east Malaysians demanded certain rights which were given and eventually eroded away by the Mahathir regime.
A read of the Press release by Dr. Jeffery Kitingan is being placed here so that you may know some of the issues;
PRESS STATEMENT
“Fulfill
Malaysia Agreement or Go Separate Ways - Dr. Jeffrey”
Kota Kinabalu: “Now that the installation of Pehin Sri Taib as the 7th Governor of Sarawak has taken place, the leaders of Sabah and Sarawak need to focus and speak with one voice that the Malaysia Agreement needs to be implemented and fulfilled” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief, commenting on Malaysia’s top judge, Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria that Sabah and Sarawak formed Malaysia and that they are key partners in the Federation of Malaysia.
And equally important, Tun
Arifin had clearly stated the correct history that Malaya gained independence
on 31 August 1957 and that Malaysia was only formed in 1963 with special
safeguards for Sabah and Sarawak in their constitutional arrangement.
Not only has the terms and
conditions of the formation of Malaysia as contained in the Malaysia Agreement
1963 and the various documents and verbal assurances and promises not been
complied with, there were numerous constitutional amendments which eroded the
special rights and position of Sabah and Sarawak. They were highlighted in the book 'The Constitutional Rights of Sabah and
Sarawak' that was launched by the Chief Justice recently.
The common stand and voice of
the Borneo States should be in no uncertain terms. The Malaysia Agreement must be fulfilled or
all the 3 nation-states must be allowed to go separate ways as it is the wish
and desire of a slight majority of Sabahans and Sarawakians.
Any other stand will give the
Malayan federal leaders the wrong assumption and presumption that Sabah and
Sarawak are not serious in their demands for the terms of the formation of
Malaysia to be complied with. They will
continue to remain comfortable in their high offices in Putrajaya and do not
care for Sabahans and Sarawakians until it is time for elections.
For instance, PM Najib had
promised the BN partners in Sarawak that there would be a Cabinet re-shuffle
after the Umno general assembly in early December 2013 to accommodate MPs from
Sarawak whose parties were dissatisfied with the distribution of ministerial
posts after the May general elections.
Despite Sabah and Sarawak
holding kingmaker positions, Najib has failed to undertake the Cabinet
re-shuffle since then.
Perhaps the Sarawak BN parties
with the support of TYT Taib in the background should just leave BN and see
what happens next since the PM has seen no urgency to consider the interests of
the BN parties there.
If so, it won’t be surprising
that the PM, DPM and top guns in Umno including ex-PMs making a beeline for
Kuching to persuade the Sarawak BN components and the Governor from ditching
BN.
The continuation of the down-grading of Sabah and Sarawak as the 12th
and 13th States in Malaysia contrary to what was intended in 1963 as equal
partners can no longer be accepted. The
continuation of the rape and pillage of Sabah and Sarawak’s oil wealth and
revenues and marginalization in development allocations can no longer be
condoned.
-2-
Even in times of need, the people of Sabah and Sarawak are treated
shabbily and not equals to other Malaysians in the Peninsula as can be seen in
the recent federal flood aid. In the
Peninsula, aid in cash and in kind was poured from various ministries and other
quarters while in Sabah and Sarawak they received virtually nothing from the
federal government.
After 50 years of marginalization and victimization, the Malaysia
Agreement and all its promises and assurances need to be implemented and
fulfilled. There was to be a review
after 10 years, yet 40 years later, nothing appears to be on the horizon. Even a motion to discuss the matter in
Parliament was rejected as not urgent.
If after 50 years, it is not urgent, do not expect Sabahans and
Sarawakians to wait another 50 years for it to be urgent.
The rumblings of discontentment amongst the people in Sabah and Sarawak
are at its highest point with a slight majority wanting Sabah and Sarawak to
opt out of Malaysia. Their sentiments
are further fanned and fuelled by Malay ultras and religious bigots who keep
insisting that Malaysia is land of the Malays and that the other Malaysians are
to be chased out.
Yet, the PM and the federal government has taken no action to stop such
seditious and treasonous acts or to correct the Malayan misconception that
Malaya is Malaysia when it is clear as daylight that without Sabah and Sarawak,
the key partners, there is no Malaysia.
If Najib is serious with his national reconciliation plan, it must
include the review and implementation of the terms and conditions of the
formation of Malaysia. Otherwise, like
Singapore in 1965, there should be an amicable parting of separate ways for the
Borneo States.
Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan
Chairman
STAR Sabah
02 March 2014
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Safeguards valid for Sabah, S'wak
Kota Kinabalu: The formation of Malaysia in 1963 was the
passage to independence for Sabah and Sarawak which
came with special safeguards.
The States of Malaya gained
independence from the British in 1957.
"Last year we celebrated the
50th anniversary of the formation of Malaysia. It was a key milestone marking
a half
century since the states of Malaya,
the Borneo states, namely Sabah and Sarawak, and Singapore joined as partners
to form a free, independent and
sovereign country - Malaysia," said Chief Justice of Malaysia, Tun
Arifin bin Zakaria.
"The Cobbold Commission Report
which was published on August 1, 1962 contained the unanimous conclusion that
a Federation of Malaysia was in the
best interests of Sabah and Sarawak," he said in an address to judges
and lawyers
during the book launch of 'The
Constitutional Rights of Sabah and Sarawak' by Sukumaran Vanugopal at Hyatt
Hotel
here recently.
"The Inter-Governmental
Committee (IGC) set up by the British and Malayan governments to work out the
constitutional
arrangement for the future of
Malaysia recommended safeguards for the special interests of Sabah and
Sarawak
(from the 20 Points of Sabah and 18
Points of Sarawak).
"This is to cover matters such
as religious freedom, education, control of immigration, citizenship, the
position of
indigenous races and the State
Constitutions.
"All these important work and
recommendations make up the formation of the constitutional law and rights of
the
States of Sabah and Sarawak."
"The Federal Constitution was
amended on the formation of Malaysia to implement many of the safeguards
recommended
by the IGC.
The subsequent constitutional
amendments on the exit of Singapore are specifically highlighted.
"The effect of those
amendments on the constitutional protection and safeguards guaranteed to
Sabah and Sarawak
are dealt with in (Sukumaran's)
book.
"It is a fitting tribute to
the development of the law in the two key partner states of the Federation
which was formed half
a century ago," Arifin said.
Opposition political leaders in the
audience, including Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, were elated to hear the terms
"joined as partners" and
"the two key partner states of the Federation".
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