Sabah-Sarawak team to go to London
KOTA KINABALU – Common Interest Groups from Sabah and Sarawak will meet with British parliamentarians next month to discuss issues and complaints brought up by the public since the inception of the Federation of Malaysia.
The groups met here over the week-end to finalise issues that should be brought for discussions with the British parliamentarians.
Sarawak’s groups were led by Daniel Tajem, former president of the defunct Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak and former Deputy Chief Minister.
Seeking what's due
Chaired by Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, the meeting agreed to relook the provisions in the Malaysian Agreement and the various pledges to Sabah and Sarawak, labour and immigration problems, native customary rights land, special privileges of the natives of Sabah and Sarawak in terms of education, recruitment to the civil service, business opportunities and so on.
Kitingan explained to the meeting that when Sabah and Sarawak formed the federation together with Malaya and Singapore in 1963, Sabah and Sarawak which were British colonies were not signatories to the Malaysian Agreement.
The British government signed on their behalf, he said.
Britain held accountable
“Now we consider the British government still responsible for our welfare, our interests and our rights in the Federation of Malaysia as the government was the one who handed us to the federation.
“So we go to London to seek their views,” Kitingan added.
He said the groups would also submit a memorandum to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak on the same issues before they leave for London.
The delegation will be led by Kitingan who will be accompanied by a number of lawyers and prominent politicians from Sabah and Sarawak especially those who have some knowledge on the formation of Malaysia, the Malaysian Agreement and the pledges given to the two states.
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