Jeffrey to form new Borneo-based party

Stephen Tiong

Maverick Sabah politician Dr Jeffrey Kitingan and his supporters are to launch a new political party soon, saying that it would serve as a platform for those who have left PKR in East Malaysia.

“We will launch the party in due course,” he said after meeting Sarawak National Party (Snap) leaders in Kuching last night.

“We will work closely with Sarawak and Sabah-based parties that support the Borneo agenda advocated by the United Borneo Front (UBF),” he added.

Jeffrey (left), the younger brother of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president and Deputy Chief Minister Pairin Kitingan, said UBF, of which he is co-founder, would remain as a non-governmental organisation.

“We will not turn it into a political party,” he explained.

UBF aims to set up a mechanism to monitor compliance of the Malaysia Agreement signed in 1963 between Sabah, Sarawak, Singapore and Malaya.

Other demands included a fairer revenue-sharing formula and representation at the federal level; restore Sabah and Sarawak status as equal partners in the federation; protect the native rights as enshrined in Article 153 of the Malaysian Constitution; and the abolition of the cabotage/transportation/trade policies which are deemed unfavourable to the two states in Borneo.

The other demands are calls to narrow the economic and digital divide between Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo, and between urban and rural areas; and resolve the illegal immigrants and fake identity card problems in Sabah.

Jeffrey, a former PKR vice-president, said he and UBF did not expect Peninsula-based parties like Umno and PKR to support the Borneo agenda.

“I think they are more concerned with what are happening in Kuala Lumpur where the battleground is rather than the Borneo agenda,” he added.

Jeffrey, along with social activists Zainal Ajamain and Nilakrisna James, co-founded UBF, a civil rights group whose intention is to form an alliance of political parties, NGOs and individuals in Sabah and Sarawak which subscribed to the Borneo agenda.

Tajem is UBF Sarawak leader

Meanwhile, veteran politician Daniel Tajem (right) has been appointed the Sarawak leader of UBF.

He will be Jeffrey's counterpart in Sarawak, promoting the UBF through 'Borneo Tea Parties', the government and media.

Jeffrey said a series of gatherings or tea parties would be held in Sarawak.

“The coming Sarawak state election is the most appropriate time for us to have the tea parties. We will explain to people in Sarawak about the Borneo agenda and why they must support it,” he said.

“We will ask the voters to throw their support behind parties or candidates that support the agenda.”

The opposition Snap is the first political party to announce its official alliance with UBF.

“It will start the process of forming a political alliance in the two Borneo states,” Jeffrey said.

Snap secretary-general Stanley Jugol said: “We subscribe to the struggles of UBF and the agenda it is fighting for.

“There is a genuine need for the people of Sabah and Sarawak to address their individual territorial problems and find common solutions to address the erosion of rights and privileges, which denies us the ability to move forward at the same rate of development as what we have seen in Peninsular Malaysia,” Jugol said.

Snap a signatory to Malaysia Agreement

He said Snap wanted to work amicably with powers-that-be in Peninsular Malaysia, but there must be mutual respect in the way issues were approached in Parliament.

“Like Sabah, we were the weaker parties at the time of formation of Malaysia, but we will not be allowed to remain weak or become weaker.

“We subscribe to the formation of a strong Borneo alliance and intend to pursue for the political and economic autonomy of Sabah and Sarawak,” he added.

Snap, a significant political party during the formation of Malaysia, was a signatory of the Malaysia Agreement in 1963.

Sarawak would not have joined the Federation of Malaysia without Snap's consent, Jugol stressed.

He said the promises made at the time by former prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman and the views presented to the Cobbold Commission and the Inter-Governmental Committee in 1962 showed clearly that there was an on-going and perpetual commitment by Malaya to oblige the states of Sabah and Sarawak the safeguards and rights and privileges to ensure that the two states would not be subjected to abuses in their political and economic destinies.

“If there is a breach of these promises, Malaya would be held accountable,” said Jugol.