AS Sarawak marks the day it was granted self-rule by Britain 54 years ago today, it quashed talk of secession with a “simple” message to Putrajaya.

This state of over 2 million people, Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg said, would not exit from Malaysia but “being in Malaysia does not mean that we cannot negotiate with the Federal Government to get back our rights and what belongs to us”.

“We only want what belongs to us. It is simple as that,” the chief minister said when addressing ceremonies marking Sarawak Day at the fountain square next to the historical Square Fort at the Kuching waterfront.

It was at this site that the Union Jack was lowered for the last time and from where the last colonial Governor, Sir Alexander Waddell, departed for Singapore on a British warship.

“We were Malaysia yesterday, we are Malaysia now, we are Malaysia tomorrow and we are Malaysia forever,” Abang Johari said when repeating his predecessor’s – Adenan Satem – often-said assurance.

Abang Johari, however, said in the years since Sarawak agreed to form the Federation of Malaysia on September 16, 1963, it was inevitable that there would be friction between the central and state governments. 

He said the state was not happy with the centralisation of power in Kuala Lumpur.

“But we have been able to resolve all these problems by sitting around a table, adopting the policy of give and take. 

“We have overcome many of our teething problems. They will continue to arise, but there’s nothing we cannot solve as fellow citizens.” 

Abang Johari said he believed “there’s no problem that we cannot overcome” especially when Prime Minister Najib Razak and the Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi were “always open to discussion with Sarawak in our efforts to bring back our powers according to the Federal Constitution, the Malaysia Agreement, the Malaysia Act, the Inter-Governmental Committee Reports and Recommendations, and the Cobbold Commission Reports”. 

Sarawak recently despatched a team of legal experts to London to search and study any references related to the state’s rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

The team is headed by the state’s Law, Federal-State Relations and Project Monitoring Assistant Minister Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali.

Abang Johari said the team was sent to study “large volume of documents in the British archives and other sources which were only recently declassified”.

He said the study was in order to determine “what really was the underlying spirit of Malaysia Agreement”.

“We must first do our homework in our negotiation with Putrajaya to make sure that we are not firing blanks.” 

The chief minister, took a swipe at Amanah deputy president Salahuddin Ayub, saying the terms of reference of the London team has never been to get foreigners to intervene in our domestic affairs. 

Salahuddin had earlier this month said he disagreed with Sarawak’s action and was concerned that it could viewed as inviting “foreign interference”.

Abang Johari said he hoped Sarawakians would support him as he sought to discuss with the Federal Government to find an amicable solution to the devolution of power back to Sarawak. 

“Malaysia has been a success story. We have developed by leaps and bounds over the years where our per capita income and GDP multiplied many times. 

“But still, it is not a perfect union.” – July 22, 2017.