(Borneo Post) - KUCHING: The 18/20 Point Malaysia Agreement must be defended as political legacy for both Sabah and Sarawak, said Borneo Heritage Foundation chairman Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.

“If we don’t defend it as legacy, we and our future generations will lose. It is an important political legacy,” he said at the soft launching of Borneo Legacies Centre at Taman BDC Stampin here last Sunday night.

Jeffrey, also United Borneo Front (UBF) chairman, was referring to the 18 points agreement (Malaya/Sarawak) and 20 points agreement (Sabah /Malaya) signed before September 16, 1963 – the official date Malaysia was formed.

According to him, Sabah has lost most of the 20 points after Umno came to the state and decisions are made by Kuala Lumpur which makes Sabah treated like a colony and not an equal partner in Malaysia.

“You (Sarawak) are still very lucky. So, don’t lose it,” he said. He also pointed out there was nothing sensitive anymore about the points in 18/20 Agreement, because everybody knew about it and had the means to know it.

The Borneo Legacies Centre owner Dr Elli Luhat said the 18/20 Agreement was one of the documents to be showcased there.

“To me, it’s a legacy signed by the country’s forefathers. If we don’t preserve it, it will be gone someday. If we don’t do this, I don’t think my children and grandchildren will know about it,” he said.

The centre is located at Lasan Denak, Lorong B4 Taman BDC which is also the house of Elli, chairman of DLT Group of Companies.

Elli also said the centre aims to preserve the ‘empurau’ fish, and ‘gaharu’ (agarwood), ‘belian’ (Borneo Ironwood) and rubber trees which he regarded as the indigenous fauna and flora of Borneo.

He pointed out the rearing of empurau, and planting of gaharu, belian and rubber trees can uplift the socio-economy of the Dayaks.

On another matter, he also informed the audience that his term as member of the Malaysia Rubber Board (LGM) which recently expired was not renewed.