Khamis, April 19, 2012

MALAYSIANS ‘OWE’ SABAH THE TRUTH

Malaysians ‘owe’ Sabah the truth

The Malaysia Agreement 1963 signed between Federated Malaya, North Borneo (now Sabah), Sarawak and Singapore, was not a deed of subservience but rather an invitation to share equally a political table.

April 19, 2012: Come July 9, it would be 49 years since Britain, the Federation of Malaya, North Borneo (now known as Sabah), Sarawak and Singapore entered into an agreement that gave rise to the formation of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963. But how many of us knew that?

The fact is we remember, easily enough, Aug 31, 1957 as Merdeka day and of late Sept 16, 1963 as Malaysia Day but what about July 9, 1963 – the day the Malaysia Agreement was signed by a then independent Sabah and Sarawak?

The agreement was not a deed of subservience but rather an invitation to share a political table and march ahead into a bright future.

But that did not happen. History has distorted the facts and killed off its proverbial leaders. A generation of children have been born into thinking that Malaysia is one and not 1+2 (Singapore withdrew from the Federation of Malaysia in 1965 leaving only Sabah and Sarawak).

FMT took to the streets in downtown Kuala Lumpur recently to ask if Malaysians have heard of the 1963 Malaysia Agreement that lured the Borneo states into the federal loop.

Of the 50 people we spoke to only three had heard of it but they couldn’t elaborate on what they knew of the agreement.

The shoulder-shrugging, furrowed foreheads and sheepish smiles were testimony to the fact that this might just be something not important enough to remember, to teach or to acknowledge.

As shallow as this sounds, perhaps what makes it harder to remember this day is that it’s not a public holiday. One has to tell it like it is sometimes. We call a spade a spade.

The Malaysia Agreement 1963 – in a more contemporary nutshell – would be living in an apartment building, or a guarded/gated housing area.

Being in this collective protective enclave doesn’t in any way mean that a person has to give up their individuality or privacy.

Sabah, Sarawak not ‘states’

It just means that no matter how different these homes and apartments are, they will all be given the same kind of protection by the company mandated to do just that.

That is no different with Sabah and Sarawak’s agreement with then Malaya and Singapore.

North Borneo (now Sabah) and Sarawak agreed to enter into the Malaysia Agreement 1963 with the Federation of Malaya based on the terms of a 20-point and 18-point agreement respectively.

For the record, the formation of the Federation of Malaysia was not conceived with the idea that Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak would be “included” and recognised as the 12th, 13th and 14th states of the new federation, thus adding to the 11 states in the federation of Malaya.

What was agreed upon was that the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, North Borneo (Sabah) and Sarawak would come together to form the federation of Malaysia as equal nation-state partners within that new federation.

This was agreed upon on the grounds that there would not be any loss or decrease in their respective status as independent sovereign nations.

Look closely at Clause 18 of the 20-point agreement in relation to Sabah and you will find that it hypothesises that the head of the state of Sabah was to be called “Yang di-Pertua Negara” and not “Negeri”.

Clause 3 of the 20-point agreement, which relates to Sabah, states: “Whilst accepting that the present Constitution of the Federation of Malaya should form the basis of the Constitution of Malaysia, the Constitution of Malaysia should be a completely new document drafted and agreed in the light of a free association of states and should not be a series of amendments to a Constitution drafted and agreed by different states in totally different circumstances.”

The real kingmakers

An avid Kuala Lumpur-born Sabah observer who gives his name as Sharif, opined that Peninsular Malaysians and Putrajaya “owe” Sabahans and Sarawakians the truth.

“I think Peninsula Malaysians and the government owe it to the people of Sabah and Sarawak to get to the truth of what was agreed in 1963.

“It is imperative that we demand that all that was agreed on be carried out no matter if a new or old government takes over post-general election,” Sharif said.

He also stressed the importance of perusing the contents of the Malaysia Agreement as tedious as it may be – to take a good hard look at the 20- and 18-point agreements and re-learn what it’s truly about with particular attention to the status and position of Sabah and Sarawak.

DAP national adviser and parliamentarian Lim Kit Siang, during his visit to Kota Belud, Tuaran, and Kota Kinabalu in February 2010, declared that the natives of Sabah were ‘kingmakers”.

The term “kingmaker” drew rousing applause and supporters billed Lim’s visit as a “powerful political whirlwind of change” stirring in the whole of Sabah, state party publicist Dr Edwin Bosi said in a press statement.

To this, Sharif added: “Native leaders of Sabah in the past and now are being touted as the real ‘kingmakers’ in Sabah and Malaysian politics.

“Some believe that the banned book ‘The Golden Son of the Kadazan’ gives a good account of the struggle of the local natives, especially the Kadazan community. The book which describes the struggle of the Sabah native Peter Mojuntin was banned, while the book by [former premier] Dr Mahathir Mohamad ‘Malay Dilemma’ has been lifted.

“Where is the fairness in that?”

Sabah betrayed

He also spoke of the betrayal the BN government has inflicted on the Sabah native community.

“This became obvious after the reverse takeover of power in Sabah in 1994. Anyone who is familiar with what happened will recall that the rotation system of the Sabah chief minister had only allowed Bernard Dompok to serve as CM for nine short months.

“After winning the following election, Umno-led BN government decided to drop the rotation system, and that is the end for a Kadazandusun and Murut chief minister,” he added.

Sharif is also of the opinion that the state’s political history must be a reminder to Kadazan natives of their role in the rise of Berjaya and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) governments.

He said the Kadazan natives had been marginalised and emasculated.

“The future is in the hand of the Sabah natives. They have fantastic power that they can release and become equal citizens, ” Sharif said.

Another Sabah observer encapsulates the situation lucidly when she proferred, “Before any nation building can happen, Sabah needs to first consolidate its identity.

“The 13th general election is perhaps the most significant election for Sabah because for the first time, Sabahans feel like someone is there to champion their cause.

“Barisan Nasional will win, but the question of what would that victory mean remains.

“If the opposition were to secure a 10-seat [majority] win, this will be very significant. Because then, there might be the possibility that Sabah will be looked at as a nation.”

Aneesa Alphonsus

21 ulasan:

  1. Diharapkan kerajaan persekutuan akan menjelaskan Perjanjian 20 Perkara ini kepada rakyat Sabah, kita berhak mendapatkan kebenaran.

    BalasPadam
    Balasan
    1. hak dan kepentingan sabah dalam malaysia harus dipertahankan dan dilindungi.

      Padam
    2. Jika Perjanjian 20 Perkara ni ditunaikan pasti keadaan di Sabah adalah lebih baik. Inilah yang dinanti-nantikan oleh rakyat Sabah.

      Padam
    3. perjanjian ini masih belum ditunaikan. Mungkin kerajaan persekutuan perlu memberi penjelasan ini.

      Padam
    4. 20 points should protect Sabah rights.

      Padam
    5. hak dan kepentingan Sabah harus dijaga dengan sebaiknya.

      Padam
  2. Tetapi saya rasa Pergiliran KM itu tidak begitu sesuai untuk Sabah, dua tahun terlalu pendek untuk membuat apapa pembangunan, ini hanya membuang masa rakyat sahaja. Memang saya sokong ia dihentikan.

    BalasPadam
    Balasan
    1. sejak sistem penggiliran ini dihapuskan, sabah membangun dengan pesat..

      Padam
    2. Sistem penggiliran KM ni hanya melambatkan pembangunan negeri Sabah. mujurlah sekarang ia tidak diamalkan lagi.

      Padam
    3. jika penggiliran ini membawa lebih perkembangan, tidak harus dibincang lagi.

      Padam
    4. sekarang ini kita boleh lihat pembangunan di Sabah semakin baik.

      Padam
  3. the truth should be told..

    BalasPadam
    Balasan
    1. Kalau dalam buku teks sekolah memang sejarah Sabah ni tidak diperincikan namun menjadi tanggungjawab rakyat Sabah untuk mencari kebenaran melalui pelbagai sumber.

      Padam
  4. The truth has needed to reveal. We deserve to know what is the fact.

    BalasPadam
  5. “The 13th general election is perhaps the most significant election for Sabah because for the first time, Sabahans feel like someone is there to champion their cause."

    Benarkah rakyat sanngup membuat perubahan? Cuma perubahan yang kami buat yang akan mendatangkan perubahan dan masa depan yang cerah kepada generasi akan datang.

    BalasPadam
  6. Sekiranya Sabah sudah boleh berdiri sendiri Persekutuan harus beri semula autonomi kepada kerajaan negeri.

    BalasPadam
  7. sejarah pembentukan Malaysia yang sebenar harus diketahui umum.

    BalasPadam
    Balasan
    1. ya, semua haruslah memahami sejarah dengan sebaiknya.

      Padam
  8. yang penting hak dan kepentingan Sabah terjaga dengan sebaiknya.

    BalasPadam
  9. Malaysia harus memberikan yang terbaik kepada Sabah. Perubahan dari masa ke semasa membuat penduduk Sabah sendiri lebih matang. Maka kerajaan juga perlu bijak memastikan pelbagai usaha mendapat sokongan daripada penduduk.

    BalasPadam
  10. yang lepas tu lepas la.. sekarang ini tumpuan perlu diberikan kepada usaha memajukan negeri, mengembalikan hak2 rakyat di negeri ini dan menyelesaikan masalah2 yang disebabkan oleh pemimpin2 terdahulu..

    BalasPadam