Tuesday, May 12, 2015

We did not lose anything in the Malaysia Agreement but the Federal Government did not fulfill and adhere to the Malaysian Agreement

Has the Federal breached the treaty signed between Sabah, Sarawak and Malaya in 1963 for not fulfilling the contents of the agreement? Up till today peoples of Sabah are still questioning the legality of the Malaysian Agreement 1963 as the clause inside the agreement is drafted to include Singapore and Brunei which saw Singapore was being kicked out and Brunei did not sign the agreement.

One good example ... the appointment of the Chief Minister is always been the prerogative of the State and its pride but now has been lost which we are entitled and adamant to reclaim it back. Point 13 of the Malaysian Agreement stated that “State Government :
a) the Chief Minister should be elected by unofficial members of Legislative Council;
b) There should be a proper Ministerial system in North Borneo”. It was never mentioned nor have/must getting any consent from the state legislative council that the appointment of Chief Minister was the prerogative of the Prime Minister.

In a statement dated July 21 (local daily news), by Datuk Masidi Manjun the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment and also the minister in responsible for the state education has claimed that even our education system has lost its autonomy and urging the Federal to cede some of the education ministry power and for the Sabah State Assembly Speaker, Datuk Seri Salleh Said is talking about giving the state government the education autonomy. Under the 20 points of the Malaysia Agreement 1963, Points 15 read as “The existing educational system of North Borneo should be maintained and for this reason it should be under state control”. It is clearly stated that the education privilege is always under the prerogative and purview of the state since the formation. There is no question of asking, giving and demand but a matter of principle for the Federal to fulfill when it was enshrined under the agreement. This is the very reason why most of the young graduate teachers in Sabah nowadays are deprived from such maintenance, training and recruitments of teachers in job opportunity market. If today, the Federal Government by all means decided to declared that Sabah will be autonomous then Datuk Masidi Manjun will becomes the first Education Minister in Sabah, a local Sabahan himself and at the same time the title hold by Tun Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Juhar Haji Mahiruddin as the Yang – Dipertua Negeri will be uplifted to the highest Yang Di – Pertua Negara and Sabahans will be very much proud and honoured. Point 18 of the Malaysia Agreement read as “The Name of Head of State: Yang Di – Pertua Negara” which means that the title brings to an equal status to the Head of Nation.

I would like to mention also the in July 2011, two Sabahans by the name of Bernard Fung and Nazib Maidan has file a suit against the federal and the state government for failing to fulfill the Borneanisation under Point 8 of the Malaysian Agreement 1963 and it is pending to be heard by the court whether there is a basis. Point 8 read as “Borneanisation: Borneanisation of the public service should proceed as quickly as possible.” It takes a brave heart and patriotic for these two Sabahan in fighting a fair and just for the rest of Sabahans and we owe them for their sacrifices. As I have said earlier, now there are more people educated and aware of how imperative the Malaysia Agreement to be fulfilled by the Federal and let us give our undivided support on their cause because it is we, you and me and all Sabahans to be united and has the duty to protect what is ours failing which Sabahans will be at the losing end.

Perhaps people might forget and lets us refreshed the Sabah state anthem “SABAH TANAH AIRKU”. There is a line number 6 of the song saying “MERDEKA SEPANJANG MASA” and line number 8 “SABAH NEGERI MERDEKA”.

Whether one realize or not these two lines of words are very strong and it means very deep meaning to the patriotic heart of Sabah peoples.

This word brings the meaning that Sabah is an Independence State. If this phrases song are correctly interpreted then Sabah is independence by all respect and aspects and Sabah should have administer and making decision of what is best for itself for the next hundred of years. But what saddening us, for 48 years Federal government still tell us what should and should not be doing by Sabah.

The consequences from this practice in return of all the development is Sabah not only lost its autonomy but lost everything including its land, sea, state wealth natural resources such as oil and gas, timber, oil palm, lost of employment, state revenue and the lists goes on day to day and month to month to outside Sabah which is not benefiting the people as a whole especially poverty is still widely eminent in Sabah compare to the rest of the states in Malaysia.

By Doris Jones

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