He said Borneonisation of the civil service, autonomous control over immigration, security, land rights, oil and gas, religion, unemployment, poverty and cabotage policy are some key issues that are long overdue for a solution.
“Sabahans, especially natives, are increasingly aghast at the erosion of identity as Sabahan natives,” he said.
“If State Assembly Speaker Datuk Salleh Said is implying that the police and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission should arrest or charge the individuals over the chatter in social media about ‘secession’, then Salleh is grossly mistaken because the individuals touting the idea of secession are not the least afraid.
“Many of these Sabah netizens boldly post their full names and photos. They consider themselves as patriots not traitors,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Yong, who is the president of Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), was commenting on the statement of Salleh who said that it is treasonous to discourage the people from hoisting the Jalur Gemilang, especially during the Merdeka (Independence) month.
Salleh pointed out that there were people calling for Sabah to be separated from Malaysia in the social networks and even encouraged others to fly the Sabah flag alone and not the Jalur Gemilang, in support of their call for Sabah’s ‘independence’ from Malaysia.
He called on the relevant authorities such as the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission and the police to monitor postings on the social media pertaining to such ideas and take the necessary action.
Yong said Salleh also misunderstands the concept of “self-determination”.
“Self-determination, as allowed under international law and adopted by the United Nations, means that Sabahans can make decision about their own destiny.
“The opposite of self-determination is colonial rule whereby Sabahans must leave their fate to London. Self-determination is not the same as secession or complete independence as a sovereign nation.
“Self-determination can exist within the federation of Malaysia as a nation of Sabah, Sarawak, Singapore and Malaya in a federal system,” he explained.
“Indeed, like in Scotland, a majority of Scots are expected to vote on September 18 to remain in the United Kingdom instead of outright independence. But the Scottish push for independence has forced the English political establishment to legislate more autonomous powers for the Scottish parliament, even after 307 years of English rule over Scotland,” said Yong.
Penampang member of parliament Darell Leiking is of the opinion that the call by Salleh on the authorities to act on the secession talk is premature and without thought.
“I believe, contrary to what Datuk Seri Salleh Tun Said Keruak’s assumption of secession, the cries of Sabahans are not secession per se but rather anger resulting from a cumulative feeling of utter disappointment and disrespect that Sabah and Sabahans have endured since the formation of the Federation of Malaysia,” said Leiking yesterday.
He said Sabahans are now fast becoming aware of what they have lost as the equal partner in the founding of the promised Federation of Malaysia.
“We have seen how our social demography has changed, how the distribution of wealth between the so-called remaining founding partners of the Federation of Malaysia are since then to today, the distorted history along with today’s unequal administration of the Federation of Malaysia, the ownership of our oil and gas assets and hosts of serious problems like the illegal immigrants becoming citizens and right up to a single historical date i.e. 16th September 1963 where it is obvious that some insist of celebrating a Merdeka date that has no bearing on North Borneo then (save for its own independence from the British colonial powers on 31st August 1963 and not 1957),” he said.
“If one was to even recall, Sabah used to have at least two or three of its own licensed banking and financial institutions but all of which today have been diminished into memories of the past whereby all banking and financial decisions right up to a simple loan approval are now solely left over to those who sit two and a half hours away from Sabah in West Malaysia with its corporate owners,” he added.
Leiking also said that even the social mobility among our Sabahan youths had changed dramatically as Sabah used to be able to cater for its citizens, especially in satisfactory employment and fruitful life for all.
“It is the reverse today in whereby, irrespective of whether one has tertiary education or not, Sabahan youths have to make choices to leave Sabah for better pasture elsewhere, especially in West Malaysia,” he said.
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