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Shame, after 57 years together, there are still secrets between Sabah, Sarawak and the federal government. It would be nice to tell a secret between two lovers, but then there is no love lost between the states of Borneo and the federal government.
Borneo’s largest landmass and the smallest peninsular Malaysia are becoming more separated and there is a greater divide than ever on the economic and political front.
Hanifah Hajar Taib, Deputy Minister of the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs), stated in Parliament that the government had reiterated its decision not to disclose its final report of the Special Cabinet Committee that reviewed the implementation of the 1963 Malaysia Agreement (MA63).
He said that the decision was made after taking into account various aspects such as the law and its content, as well as discussions that contain technicalities and sensitive matters classified as official secrets, and the government considered that it was not necessary to make its final report public. keeping it that way under the Official Secrets Act (OSA).
It was previously reported that 17 of the 21 issues identified by the committee had been agreed and the remaining four were still under discussion. The pending issues were oil royalties, minerals and oil fields, the 2012 Territorial Law of the Sea and state rights over the continental shelf. No updates were provided on whether any of the 17 themes were implemented. Hanifah was neither specific nor transparent in her parliamentary response.
Unlike the previous government that addressed the MA63 as taking the bull by the horns, the government of Perikatan Nasional (PN) prefers to play hide and seek with the people of Sabah and Sarawak and keep them sedated with some kind of “gluttony” to maintain they happy.
To make matters worse, the department is headed by Sabah’s Maximus Ongkili, who promised to resolve MA63’s problems within six months of taking office in March. Meanwhile, Sarawak has voiced its opinion on recovering its MA63 rights and even defeated Petronas in court over the oil sales tax battle.
Netizen activists have pointed out, however, that at the federal level, East Malaysian ministers appear to agree with the mistreatment inflicted by the federal government, which amounts to betraying their own states.
The current group of East Malaysian leaders representing Sabah and Sarawak are pale shadows of our founding fathers who fought for our rights, especially the 20-point agreement for Sabah and the 18-point compact for Sarawak.
In 2019, the top ministers of Sabah and Sarawak, Shafie Apdal and Abang Johari Openg continued the search for Borneo’s rights, respectively, in what we now know as the new 20 points. One would have thought that with the slim majority of Muhyiddin Yassin, Ongkili and Hanifah would be in a better negotiating position to negotiate the rights of Sabah and Sarawak, but sadly not.
There is no reason for the 20 points negotiated between Sabah and Sarawak to be submitted to the OSA unless you have something to hide. If you read the OSA, it is mainly related to security violations and crimes and not so much to the political or economic rights of people.
If the previous government was able to conduct negotiations in a transparent and open manner, why can’t the current government do the same? What are they afraid of? Are you assuming that Sabahans and Sarawakians are a bunch of idiots who can’t understand a long document and can’t control their emotions?
The East Malays have waited 57 years for fairness and justice and it is time for federal leaders to deliver the products.
The Sarawak GPS government is already aligned with the PN government and Sabah is now led by Gabungan Rakyat Sabah, formed by the PN government during the Sabah state elections, so there is no longer any excuse that Sabah and Sarawak are under opposition parties. This is the best time for the leaders of Sabah and Sarawak to get more “gluttony” not for themselves, but for their own state.
The pending issues of oil royalties, oil minerals and oil fields, the Territorial Sea Law of 2012 and the state rights on the continental shelf are a legal matter that can invade Petronas territory, but then Sabah and Sarawak have the right to carry out Petronas to court. to resolve the matter.
There is no secret about the dispute over oil rights and the continental shelf. Sarawak won the oil sales tax dispute with Petronas. This proves that the 1974 Petroleum Development Act is not infallible and that Petronas does not have exclusivity over petroleum in Malaysia.
It is time for our East Malaysian leaders to step up the game and demand what is owed to the people of Sabah and Sarawak and not just to respect the line.
The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
