SABAH DESERVES THE REAL DEAL; NOT BROKEN PROMISES – SIPAUN

Sabah deserves the real deal; not broken promises – Sipaun

KOTA KINABALU: Former State Secretary Tan Sri Simon Sipaun strongly believes that Sabah needs and deserves better and fairer treatment from the Federal Government.

Tan Sri Simon Sipaun

He said the Federal Government should treat Sabah better in terms of more equitable distribution of opportunities and development projects, adding that there are far too much talk and pledges which are not matched by action.

With Sabah being the poorest state in the country, he said, it clearly shows that the promises made for the state were not fulfilled.

“It is just broken promises. We were once promised that we would prosper like Malaya, but 47 years later, we are the poorest in the country, and yet we have a lot of resources, we have gas, plenty of palm oils and others, so why (Sabah remains poor)?” asked Sipaun, who is also a former State Public Service Commission chairman and former Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) vice chairman.

On the issue of illegal immigrants, he said the government spends a lot of money to support the many detention centres in Sabah that never run empty.

While the locals, on the other hand, are deprived of basic needs.

“Some locals do not have birth certificates, never left their places, live in the interior areas and when they do come to town, they do not know what to do.

“Some ended up not reporting birth of their children, meaning the children will not get birth certificate, no birth certificate means no identity card, no identity card means no access to school and education, and, to men, this is human rights,” he said.

Speaking to reporters during a public forum entitled Formation of Malaysia, A Promise Revisited and the Way Forward, Sipaun said it was important for Sabahans to realise the background of why the country was born.

“Personally, Sabah, to me, rushed into forming Malaysia with the others. We were not ready. In the year 1962 and 1963, there were hardly any graduates, may be the number was not even half a dozen.

“The level of literacy was so low. Of course we talked about the Cobbold Commission but what was the understanding of the ordinary people about it? They didn’t know.

“To me what we should have done was to get self-rule from the British, followed by full independence and then after that think in the immediate term, in the medium term and in the long term so that you are able to weigh the pros and cons … if I form (Malaysia), what good and bad things it will bring?” he pointed out.

The Cobbold Commission, was a Commission of Inquiry, set up to determine whether the people of North Borneo (now Sabah) and Sarawak supported the proposal to form the Federation of Malaysia consisting of Malaya, Singapore, North Borneo and Sarawak.

It was also responsible for the subsequent drafting of the Constitution of the Federation of Malaysia prior to the nation’s formation on Sept 16, 1963.

Sipaun, who moderated the one-day forum, also believed that the younger generation today are led to confusion over the formation of Malaysia.

“History is like distortion of facts by the authorities. It happened. It’s in the document, and yet the government is telling that we are celebrating our 53rd years of nationhood, what nation are you talking about? 53 years? Malaysia is not 53 years old, only 47.

“Even that (data) is distorted so what more of things that we do not know about the background. I don’t know what they are teaching in schools now. When a teacher keeps telling students something, they will just accept what the teachers tell them.

“I once asked a professor on the matter, he didn’t answer me and instead told me that we could discuss the issue,” he recalled.

Asked whether there was a need to change the wrong information pertaining to the formation of Malaysia, he replied: “The textbook should reflect the truth and the facts rather than insisting that Malaysia is 53 years old.”

Earlier, when presenting his paper, Sipaun said the people of Sabah must accept reality and learn lesson from past experiences.

“If a mistake has been made, it cannot be rectified by another mistake. Two wrongs do not make a right. Genuine unity and national integration are vital for Malaysia.

“We should also focus on our similarities rather than on our differences. We should also concentrate on enlarging the size of the economic cake rather than spending too much effort and time on how to share it.

“We should also have sound education system at par with the best in the world and all Malaysians should be subject to the same system. I also believe that no Malaysian or community should feel deprived and marginalised. Everyone should be treated equally and fairly. Selective prosecution or application of the law should not arise,” he said.

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Is it 53 or 47?

Sabah has the most number of people who can't read