BY Dr Kelvin Yii
I strongly question Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang
Johari and the State government's decision in wanting Deputy Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to head a federal task force to negotiate matters
relating to the state’s special rights and constitutional safeguards,
especially in view of his endorsement and support for Parliamentary Speaker
Pandikar Amin's ‘skewed’ interpretation of the Malaysian Agreement 1963.
This is in response to Zahid Hamidi recent statement
calling all politicians to stop politicising and manipulating facts on the
Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) on top of endorsing Pandikar Amin’s “Berpisah
Tiada” to correct wrong and negative perceptions in comparison to which he
claims numerous studies conducted by previous analysts on the rights of Sabah
and Sarawak which had elements of bias and prejudice.
This speaks volume of Ahmad Zahid Hamidi endorsement of
such skewed interpretation and thus putting in question the intention of
Sarawak government to negotiate with Zahid Hamidi and the Barisan Nasional's federal
government who clearly does not have the intention to recognise our rightful
status as well as acknowledge the rights that were stolen from us by the federal
government.
In his book, Pandikar Amin rubbished claims that East and
West Malaysia were meant to be equal territories when the federation was
formed.
He even went further to say that the rights of the state
were never eroded in the first place, even with the constitutional amendments
in 1976 to downgrade the Sabah and Sarawak to the 12th and 13th State which was
supported by all the BN MPs from Sabah and Sarawak.
The Barisan Nasional government have all the powers to
rectify it if they wanted so in the beginning. All the empty promises by Prime
Minister Najib Razak and the Barisan Nasional government on recognising our
rights and intending to give back what is ours is mere rhetoric and election
talk and has no legal binding authority.
His calls to not politicise such issues is also misguided
as this is clearly a political issue. The rightful recognition of our rights
and constitutional amendments are acts of parliaments and thus political in
nature. Is he then trying to threaten the people of Sabah and Sarawak against
talking about such issues and bringing up the misdeeds and mistakes of the
Barisan Nasional government when it comes to our rights?
If they were serious about it, they can easily table a
Government’s motion to rectify the situation. And now with Zahid endorsement of
Pandikar’s skewed interpretation, it further confirms the intentions and why
the Barisan Nasional government has not done so until now. Then, what is the
point of “begging’ from them again?
Just recently, the State Assembly unanimously passed
ministerial motion on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) mandating the state
government to form a high-level special task force to negotiate with the
federal government to resolve all outstanding issues related to compliance and
upholding of the constitutional safeguards and special rights accorded to
Sarawak in accordance with the terms, intent and spirit of the Malaysia
Agreement 1963.
If this so called high-level special task force is formed
to negotiate with someone who clearly doesn’t believe and recognise our
rightful rights, then it will be just as if we will be beating around the bush,
playing politics and speaking to the wall.
On the contrary, Pakatan Harapan in their manifesto have
clearly stated the recognition of the Malaysian Agreement 1963 as well as the
rightful rights belonging to the State on top of offering a “New Deal” for
further benefit to the State.
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