SARAWAK’S immigration autonomy and its rights to taxation powers and its natural resources will not be on the table for discussion by the special cabinet committee to review the Malaysia Agreement 1963, said Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg today.

Also not for negotiation are the protection of its state’s boundaries which extend to the continental shelf off Sarawak, and its right to formulate its own development plan and declare its own development areas under Article 95E of the federal constitution.

“These items are strictly non-negotiable,” Abang Johari said in the state assembly as he spoke on Sarawak’s rights and its strategic interests.

“Whilst supporting the review of MA63, the state government will ensure that those special rights for Sarawak, entrenched in the federal constitution in accordance with MA63, must not be affected in anyway.”

The chief minister assured the assembly and the people of Sarawak that he and the state Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government “will unreservedly defend, protect, and reclaim the rights belonging to the state as agreed in MA63 and the constitutional instruments annexed thereto”.

“We will ensure that Sarawak continues to have and be accorded the level of executive, legislative, administrative, and financial autonomy that will fulfil the principle that we, the people of Sarawak, will be able to govern ourselves so that Sarawak will be a strong, vibrant, and progressive partner in the federation,” Abang Johari said.

On the state’s autonomy demands, Abang Johari said it was not a knee-jerk reaction but “a long and deep-seated emotion built over the last 55 years, as Sarawakians begin to see the great disparity in the development of Sarawak compared with the other side of Malaysia”.

The disparity, he said, was created as a result of a Putrajaya-centric national policy “which puts Sarawak as a peripheral to mainstream Malaysian politics and economics, while tapping into our natural resources”.

“We are unhappy that Parliament can pass laws which erode the power and rights of Sarawak.

“We are unhappy that the federal government has failed us in the delivery of services to our people, particularly in basic infrastructure, education, and public healthcare.

“It is the infringement of our inalienable rights in our homeland Sarawak and the inadequate provision for the needs of our people that compel this government.”

Abang Johari said that against all forms of “political and administrative sabotage by Putrajaya”, as it failed to deliver the services it had promised Sarawak and used all kinds of administrative tricks to delay the disbursement of funds, the state had no choice but to challenge them to do the right thing, and then to do “what we think is fair and due to us”.

He reiterated that in seeking autonomy, Sarawak was not seeking to leave Malaysia.

“Sarawak will continue to coexist and cooperate with Malaya and Sabah under the umbrella of Malaysia.

“We are happy to be in Malaysia. What we are not happy about is the nature of our current relationship which we feel has deviated from the original spirit of the agreement to form Malaysia as encapsulated in MA63.

“We wish for a real positive dialogue and resolution of our discontent.” – November 14, 2018.