In a recent speech Datuk Yong Teck Lee said that “Whoever forms the next Federal government will have to honour, recognise and respect political autonomy to Sabah, as promised in the Malaysia Agreement, which is the basis for the formation of Malaysia in 1963. “
This is perhaps the single most critical prerequisite that the Federal government must respect to strengthen the bond between the Federation partners.
Yong stressed that “any attempt to depart from the “letter and spirit” of the formation of Malaysia will only fortify and intensify the Sulu/Philippines claim on Sabah.” I would further add that ignoring the 1963 Agreement would only weaken the already fragile bond between the three Federation partners.
The quotes above are a clear reminder that Malaya must honour and respect the Letter of Malaysia Agreement of 1963. By honouring and respecting the Malaysia Agreement, it will strengthen the positive spirit of Malaysia in the hearts and minds of Sabahans, and would ultimately accelerate the economic growth and development of Malaysia to reach its target to become a fully developed nation sooner.
It is clear that the Federal government of Malaysia has been administered incompetently and prejudicially by a section of the political and racial divide since the formation of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963.
Much of the country's Federal administration was adamantly prejudicially in favour of a particular race and religion; which is a system of government more in line with a homogenous racial composition like Japan, but totally unfit for a national Federation like Malaysia where numerous distinct racial groups play a predominant role.
The distance and separation between Borneo and Malaya amplify the need for autonomy among the three main partners. Malaya must not and cannot assume the role of a colonizer, for it will only create an erosion of trust among Federation partners.
In Wikipedia.org, it describes autonomy in the following way “Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political, and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision.
In moral and political philosophy, autonomy is often used as the basis for determining moral responsibility for one's actions. Autonomy is also used to refer to the self-government of the people.
Autonomy is the single most important word to describe the fundamental basis for what Sabah and Sabahans wished for and aspired to. It has a special meaning and reference in the hearts and souls of genuine Sabahans. Autonomy in the context of our Federation is a good thing of which all three Federation partners have an interest to protect.
The British had some concerns when it supported the formation of the Federation between its former colonies. They had intended for it to strengthen the integrity of these former British colonies to deter the possible aggression of foreign non-aligned nations such as Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand.
The growing communist threats also heightened their resolve to form a pact among the former member colonies.
Having said that the British had not intended for Malaya to dominate the politics of the other Federation partners as evident by the many safeguards that were introduced and carefully listed in what is known as the 20 Points Memorandum within the Malaysian Agreement of 1963.
The intension and vision of the Federation was not meant for Malaya to colonize Sabah and Sarawak.
Today, with the domination of UMNO into the Sabah political landscape, Malaya not only violated the promise of the Malaysian agreement, it had also changed the governing relationship of Sabah and Malaya by downgrading Sabah status to that of a mere state within the Federation of Malaya; effectively putting Sabah in the same state level status of Johore or Perlis, without the approval of the people and legitimate government of Sabah.
Malaya within Malaysia perfidiously turned our country into a Malayan colony. So in a blink of an eye we have gotten out of the British colonial system and entered into the Malayan colonial protocol illegitimately.
Building a relationship based on colonial system would be counter productive for Malaya. The best formula for Malaya is fulfilling the Promise of the Federation of Malaysia by honouring and respecting the Agreement of 1963. Foremost in the spirit of this Agreement is Sabah's autonomy.
Sabah must be allowed to run its government with full autonomy from Malaya and with full cooperation in the spirit of the Federation of Malaysia. This is the transparent and sincere solution that would catapult Malaysia into a fully developed nation within the modern global environment.
Such mutual respect and honour will strengthen the bond of our nationhood that would one day be an envy of the world.
Malaysia's sluggish economy is a direct product of the corruption of power by an ideology of “Malay Supremacy” held by Malay Federal rulers in Malaya. Malay supremacy is a view closely intertwined between race and religion, which is mainly the Malayo ethno centric plus group and the religion of Islam. When you speak of “Malay Supremacy,” you are basically referring to both Malay and Islam.
It is an intertwined ideology widely propagandized. Today, a person of Pakistani origin or a Chinese for that matter can technically be classified as Malay for as long as he or she embraces Islam and uphold this ideology. It is an unusual combination, one that was contrived to advance a certain creed.
It is however, an old ideology more suitable during the Middle Ages. In today's world such concepts are outdated and it clash with the modern day world and human knowledge.
Malaysia cannot afford to apply medieval concepts to modern day lifestyle. It will only create schism between communities and a disparate electorate. This ideology cannot survive even in highly homogenous societies in the Middle East, whose society is wrought with perpetual violence. It is just an attempt at foolery in Malaysia; a theory that is hindering the growth and development of Malaysia to harness the opportunities of the modern world.
Autonomy is the key for Sabah to promote a strong and stable economy. Who best knows how to manage a country than its own people? Malaya must realize this and start respecting the wishes of the people of Sabah. The future of prosperity in Malaysia is dependent upon the honour and respect that Malaya must now confer upon Sabah.
There must be great sincerity and transparency in government to deal with the issues of the people of Sabah. Malaysia is where it is today because of unscrupulous leaders who plunder and took advantage of the country's wealth for their own self-interest.
If Malaysia is run by honest and competent personalities there is no doubt that Malaysia would be an economic power house where its citizens would feel great pride and dignity. We could have easily surpassed South Korea and Taiwan, and eclipse the economic index of Indonesia and Thailand, whose economy in the past lagged far behind Malaysia.
The goal of Sabah today is to harness the power of autonomy and build a prosperous nation within the Federation of Malaysia. Sabah can become the next economic wonder of the world and it will be the pride of all Malaysians. These are the hopes and dreams of Sabahans. We need our Malayan partners to honour and respect our need for autonomy, for we do not want to be the poorest state, but rather one of the most prosperous in Malaysia and that can only be achieved in the spirit of autonomy.
By Wilfred Gaban
President of Kadu Foundation
Director of PIPPA - Progressive Institute of Public Policy Analysis
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