TWO Sarawak rights activists are generally satisfied with the performance of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in his first 100 days in office despite the “mess” he had inherited from past governments.

However, they felt the unity government he leads will not be able to sort out the major Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) disputes that have been festering for years between the federal government and East Malaysia.

MA63 is an important agreement for Sabah and Sarawak as it lays out the conditions of their incorporation within the Federation. It was supposed to give them a higher degree of autonomy in the Federation.

Sarawak Association for People’s Aspiration (Sapa) publicity and information chief Peter John Jaban said they were happy with what Anwar has been doing since taking office.

He said Anwar had lived up to his general election promise by settling a number of minor issues that have been the cause of constant friction in federal and state relations for many years.

“Of course there are the major ones yet to be sorted out and implemented,” he said in reference to such disputes as the ownership rights on the continental shelf within Sarawak’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the Petroleum Development Act (PDA) 1974 and freedom of religion in Muslim minority Sarawak.

“I’ll give him a ‘few hundred days’ to sort out the remaining disputes. I’m not the only one happy with his performance to date.

“Sarawak folk seemed to be happy as well. After 60 years, they now have a deputy prime minister who is from the state,” the Sarawak autonomy advocate said, alluding to Fadillah Yusof.

Jaban said what Sarawak needs most from the talks with the Federal government to settle the dispute over its demands and to comply with the terms of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) is “our autonomy”.

He had said “the need for (our) autonomy is to further our own self-determined progress and to fulfil the terms on which we agreed to the formation of Malaysia”.

“We have waited 60 years for proper recognition of our rights. The unity government today does indeed have a considerable legal and moral obligation towards us.”

Jaban said with Indonesia relocating its new capital to Nusantara in Kalimantan, there is a pressing need for Sarawak’s stretch of the border with Kalimantan to be properly secured.

He suggested the federal government reconstitute either the Sarawak Rangers or the Sarawak Border Scouts to secure the border.

The Sarawak Rangers were disbanded in 1960, becoming part of the British Army, while the Border Scouts were disbanded in 1974.

Both are tracker units with men drawn from the ethnic Dayaks.

“You can’t send soldiers from the city into our jungles. Only the Dayaks know our jungles,” Jaban said to justify the need for such units.

Pro-independence politician Voon Lee Shan said Anwar had inherited “a mess created by past administrations” and his priority to save the nation first from bankruptcy has gotten in the way of settling MA63 disputes.

“With a national debt of more than RM1 trillion, a country riddled by massive corruption for decades and an ailing economy, it is not an easy task for the prime minister and his cabinet to clear the mess,” Voon, who is also president of Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK), said.

He also said the issues of forced disappearance, discrimination of minorities, race and religious frictions are areas that Anwar has to tackle.

“Most of these problems began in peninsular Malaysia. But their effects are felt by the people of Sabah and Sarawak.

“Now Sabah and Sarawak as partners in Malaysia have to also help clear the mess.”

He said the effect of this will be Sarawak and Sabah will not get the development funds they asked for from the federal government.

“This is because their priority is to save the nation first from bankruptcy. Until that mess is resolved, the future of Malaysians, especially Sabahans and Sarawakians, will look bleak.”

Voon, who believes Anwar is unlikely to resolve the remaining disputes in the MA63 within the next five years, said the federal and state dispute “will continue to haunt prime ministers to come”. – March 2, 2023.