KOTA KINABALU - The decision by the federal cabinet to form the special cabinet committee to seek the best way to fulfill the promises made in the MA63) is a good move to at long last give what are due to Sabah and Sarawak.
The President of Parti Solidariti Tanahairku, Datuk Dr. Jeffrey G Kitingan said this in response to the announcement on the matter by the minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Liew Vui Keong.
"However, the objective of the committee must not only focus on fulfilling to the letter the written promises in the MA63 and its appended IGC Report as well as provisions of the Federal Constitution, Batu Sumpah and other constitutional documents and not a watered down or modified versions of them."
“It must also look at the validity of MA63 itself considering the signatories of Sabah and Sarawak during when they were still colonies of Britain, the departure of Singapore in 1965 and the continued violations, non-compliance and breaches of the agreed basis and conditions of the merger,” said the Keningau member of parliament and Tambunan assemblyman.
"Any outcome that does not address the validity of MA63, the restoration of Sabah and Sarawak as equal to Malaya, the flagrant breaches and non-compliances and actions to be taken for implementation within a short stipulated time period, would be another bunch of lies. We can't take anymore janji tarang bulan" added Dr. Jeffrey.
"Janji tarang bulan" (promises under the full moon), a phrase used by Dr. Jeffrey in his recent speech in parliament, is a common expression in Sabah derived from a popular local song which laments broken promises made under the full moon by the singer's love interest.
Dr Jeffrey tells Kuala Lumpur that the people in Sabah now have very high hopes that the new PH government with its MALAYSIA BARU theme will institute real and lasting changes in line with plethora of grievances and frustration which have been voiced out by the people of Sabah and Sarawak for decades.
"I had listed and elaborated these grievances in my speech in parliament," he said. "My speech covered gravely important and longstanding issues covering Petronas n oil and gas rights for Sabah, the Petroleum Development Act 1974, institutional reforms, equal partnership status for Sabah and Sarawak. Also touched on were Sabah's security, illegal immigrants, Sabah's full autonomy, Sabah's 40% share of revenue derived from Sabah and other revenue rights, the unpaid share of GST collected from Sabah and lopsided development leaving Sabah lagging far behind in development and the poorest State in Malaysia as well as the twisted history of Malaysia and independence of Malaya on 31 August 1957 as Malaysia’s which did not exist in 1957 and only came into being on 16 September 1963."
He said Putrajaya needs to be fully aware that the people of Sabah are also deeply troubled by current developments here in which Sabahzns get the strong impression that the state government is very much favouring illegals.
"This is adding salt to wound because for so long we have lived in frustration and anger over what we call 'shattered dreams and broken promises' due to injustices and intentioal neglect by the federal government," he stressed.
"Of the 55 years we have been with Malaysia, Tun Mahathir was the prime minister for 22 years, and in that long period years we were treated as a stepchild and neglected with its rich resources and revenues exploited to develop Malaya”.
"Our question is, will his rule this time be a repetition of that, or a brave correction of the past with real reforms?”
"If the recent reneging of election promises is anything to go by, things don't seem to bode well for Sabah," Dr Jeffrey said.
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