FORMER minister Mohd Shafie Apdal gave Pandikar Amin Mulia a history lesson today, reminding the Dewan Rakyat speaker that the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) was signed between Malaya and Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore.

“There are some individuals saying Sabah is equal to any other state. Such a claim is stupid,” the Parti Warisan Sabah president said in Keningau today.

Pandikar, last Sunday, claimed that Sabah was equal to other states in Malaysia, citing Chapter 2 of MA63, which states that the former British colonies of North Borneo (Sabah) and Sarawak shall be federated along with the Malay states.

“We don’t need the federal administration to respect MA63. But, we want our rights to be returned and honoured,” said Shafie.

“Pandikar needs to understand that MA63 was inked between the Borneo regions and Peninsular Malaysia, which were represented by former prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, former Sabah chief minister Fuad Stephens, former Sarawak chief minister Abang Haji Openg and Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew, so we cannot say we are the same as states like Perlis.”

Shafie also questioned Pandikar’s attacks on Warisan when Prime Minister Najib Razak himself had pleaded for time for the federal government to return to the state its special rights during the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) annual general meeting over the weekend.

“But look at us today. Even when PBS president Joseph Pairin Kitingan said he wants a Sabahan or a Sarawakian to become deputy prime minister, the prime minister himself did not respond.

“Why not have a Sabahan as prime minister, for that matter?”

Shafie formed Warisan earlier this year, and the party has attracted a number of members, including those who were from Barisan Nasional component parties and also opposition parties PKR and DAP.

“We (Warisan) are not arrogant for asking for these rights. There has been talk about Warisan going around making empty promises, but those who make such accusations, they (BN) themselves have not delivered on their promises,” he said.

“Look at the Pan-Borneo Highway. How many times do you need to do a launch? Four times? And until today, the project has not been completed.”

He said the state government could praise the federal government over the massive allocation of RM16 billion for the Pan-Borneo Highway, but the project had yet to be completed after six years.

Shafie said in contrast, Kuala Lumpur folk waited only three years to get the Mass Rapid Transit, which cost RM27 billion.

“There are many breaches in MA63. We just want the federal government to restore and honour our rights.” – November 19, 2017.