We, in UBF and STAR, are prepared to give MP Dahlan and other Sabah UMNO/BN leaders a full account of how Sabah had been played out and down-graded from 1 of 4 equal partners to 1 of 13 states.
Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan
“Rahman Dahlan’s remarks that Sabah and Sarawak joined the Federation as the 12th and 13th States of Malaysia is a typical UMNO stand that not only reflect his lack of understanding of history on the formation of Malaysia but confirms my opinion that many of our Sabah leaders are mere stooges and proxies of Kuala Lumpur leaders. These Sabah leaders, no longer have the heart and desires to fight for the special rights and position of Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysia.” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief, in response to Dahlan’s statement published in the Daily Express and Borneo Post yesterday.
One cannot simply pick up a paragraph in the proclamation which mention Sabah and Sarawak along with the States in Malaya that this makes the two independent States as simply additions to the existing States of Malaya.
If this was the case, then why bother to call it Malaysia?
Why not simply add Sabah and Sarawak as States of Malaya?
Or why did the British bother to give independence and nationhood to Singapore, Sarawak and Sabah (North Borneo) before forming Malaysia?
In fact, Tun Fuad was even quoted rejecting Malaysia should Sabah and Sarawak be made the 12th/13th States saying:-
“IF WE HAD BEEN ASKED TO JOIN MALAYSIA AT THE TIME MALAYA ACHIEVED INDEPENDENCE AND BRITAIN MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR US, THE STORY WOULD HAVE BEEN A DIFFERENT ONE. NOW THAT “MERDEKA” HAS BEEN MALAYA’S FOR SOME YEARS. AND WE ARE STILL STRUGGLING TOWARDS IT, MALAYA’S PROPOSAL THAT WE JOIN THE 12TH, 13TH AND 14TH STATES SAVOURS OF IMPERIALISM, OF A DRIVE TO TURN US INTO MALAYAN COLONIES …..TO JOIN MALAYA, WHILE WE ARE STILL COLONIES ….. THE IMPLICATION IS TO HAND (OURSELVES) OVER TO YOUR CONTROL.”
Even Tunku Abdul Rahman was quoted in giving the assurance that:-
“THE IMPORTANT ASPECT, OF THE MALAYSIA IDEAL AS I SEE IT, IS THAT IT WILL ENABLE THE BORNEO TERRITORIES TO TRANSFORM THEIR PRESENT COLONIAL STATUS TO SELF-GOVERNMENT FOR THEMSELVES AND ABSOLUTE INDEPENDENCE IN MALAYSIA SIMULTANEOUSLY.”
Dahlan should also understand that Malaysia’s Constitution is supposed to be a completely new Constitution and that Sabah and Sarawak promulgated their own Constitution and national anthem which give clear indications that it is a nation among a group of nations in a new Federation called Malaysia.
Who are the other nations? Namely, Malaya, Singapore and Sarawak.
These nation States along with Britain signed the Malaysia Agreement, 1963 to form the Federation of Malaysia based agreed terms and conditions and they had nothing to do with the subservient unitary States of Malaya.
The fact that the then proposed Federation was not to be a unitary State but to be a new sovereign state within a family of nations was clearly set out in the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report which states:-
FEDERATION NOT UNITARY
All delegations acknowledge the desirability that all component States should retain their identity and autonomy, the possibility of Malaysia being formed as a unitary State was never considered.
FEDERATION DEFINED
“An association of several Sovereign States with a central organ vested with powers directly over the citizens of the member State and in certain defined circumstances over the member States themselves. There would be a Central Government and also State Governments, but from the view point of international law, the collection of States forming the Federation would be recognized as one Sovereign State within a family of nations.”
MP Dahlan should therefore, find it in his heart to defend the position of Sabah as a partner of four entities in forming the Federation with its autonomy and special rights, which include him as beneficiary rather than run down our struggles to restore these rights.
We, in UBF and STAR, are prepared to give MP Dahlan and other Sabah UMNO/BN leaders a full account of how Sabah had been played out and down-graded from 1 of 4 equal partners to 1 of 13 states.
