Devolution talks must include Sabah – Bumburing

KOTA KINABALU - Any discussions on devolution of power, and with reference to the Inter-governmental Committee Report, Malaysia Agreement 1963, Malaysia Act, Federal Constitution and the Cobbold Commission Report, with the federal government should and must include Sabah and not be confined to Sarawak.

This is because the two states share a similar agreement and arrangement with Malaya during the formation of Malaysia in 1963, said Parti Cinta Sabah president Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Bumburing.

He stressed that the federal government should not treat the two states separately.

According to Bumburing, Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem has proven to the people of Sarawak his determination to pursue the mandate  given by the rakyat during the recently concluded  Sarawak State election.

“The Sabah state government should emulate Sarawak and must act likewise. The people of Sabah are watching eagerly this new development and this matter will surely be a big point of contention during the next general election,” Bumburing opined.

The Tamparuli assemblyman said that Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS), in accordance with its constitution, will pursue the matter and place it in the hand of the people to discern and help them to think seriously when they exercise their voting right.

“We are confident that the  people are fully aware of the current situation and are wise enough in exercising their rights in a democratic system in spite of the continuous manipulation in many forms by the government of the election process,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Commenting on the ‘momogun’ issue raised by the Momogun National Congress (MNC), Bumburing said that PCS is very supportive of the intention by the Momogun National Congress (MNC) in urging the government to recognise the term ‘Momogun’ to refer to the Dusunic, Murutic and Paitanic speaking community in Sabah.

However, before such measure is asking the government to recognise this noble intention, MNC must first of all  get all the stakeholders, that is the Dusunic, Murutic and Paitanic speaking communities to agree and accept the proposal to use the term Momogun to be used to refer to the community collectively, he stressed.

“I remember when I was in the State cabinet; and when the Federal Government finally agreed to include the Kadazandusun language to be taught in school, I was asked to get the opinions from the Kadazandusun community leaders as to which dialect should be used to teach the language in schools.

“I then contacted several community leaders from several districts and got the consensus from them as to which dialect was to be used as the Kadazandusun language to be taught in school. An agreement was therefore drafted and was signed and executed by the late Datuk Mark Koding representing United Sabah Dusun Association (USDA) and Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan representing KDCA.

“In like manner, MNC must first of all get the consensus of all the communities that will be expected to adopt the term Momogun to refer to themselves. Just because the term Momogun was once used to refer to a political organisation in the 1960s and the our Northern Rungus brethren still refer to themselves as Momogun today does not mean we would assume that all Dusunic, Murutic and Paitanic speaking communities would agree to the proposal,” said Bumburing.

“And even if they do, we must have a collective voice in presenting this case to the government. I am not saying what MNC is doing now is wrong; what I am saying is MNC must go to the ground and seek as well as get the opinions of all stakeholders, only then would MNC have a stronger mandate to push for its recognition by the government,” he said.