Pro-autonomy activists wary of Dr Mahathir's interest in Sarawak

Bede Hong Bede Hong Updated 5 years ago · Published on 3 Dec 2018 6:40PM · 6 Comments

Dr Mahathir Mohamad putting on a traditional vest durig the launch of Bersatu's chapter in Sarawak on Saturday. State rights activists fear the motives of behind the peninsular-based party's entry to state politics. – The Malaysian Insight pic, December 3, 2018.

SARAWAK’S pro-autonomy supporters say the people in state have grown wary of promises made by the federal government, as the state has been made to wait for decades for Putrajaya to honour the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and devolve powers to it.

“We have been kept waiting for a long time, including by the previous governments. The new government may promise new hope, so how much longer are we supposed to wait?” said Solidarity Anak Sarawak (SAS) leader Peter John Jaban.  

Peter said for Putrajaya’s promises to be taken seriously, the federal government must go back to the MA63 and reinstate what was rightfully Sarawak’s.

“The federal government can talk all they want about developing Sarawak, but we know those are just comments to make the people here feel good,” he said.

“The real meat of the matter will always be whether MA63 will truly be addressed.”

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was in Bintulu over the weekend, told reporters that Putrajaya will continue to develop Sarawak regardless of who is governing the state and that he also hoped the Sarawak government “would not be too demanding with regards to oil royalty to the state”.

Dr Mahathir, who chairs Pakatan Harapan component Bersatu, said his 2-year-old party would also attempt to oust Sarawak’s ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) in the 2021 state election.

Bersatu made its official entry into Sarawak politics over the weekend. Political analysts say the party faces a tough task of winning over Malay support from Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), which is a member of GPS.

GPS, which comprises four former Barisan Nasional component parties, was formed after the May 9 polls.

Former Batu Lintang assemblyman and lawyer for the pro-autonomous Sarawak for Sarawakians (S4S) movement Voon Lee Shan said the prospect of Dr Mahathir’s PH taking control of the state government was grim, as he believed the coalition would move to repeal the Oil Mining Ordinance (OMO) 1958 so that Petronas will have exclusive rights over the state’s oil and gas.

Voon said the state constitution may also be amended, to allow West Malaysians who had settled in Sarawak to run for political office.

“More land and strategic ports will be declared as federal territory or under the control of federal (authorities). Bintulu Development Authority is an example.

“More NCR (Native Customary Rights) land will be taken by mega companies from Malaya and more cases will be fought in court. NCR owners can win before high court and court of Appeal but will never win in federal court,” he said.

“Judges are mostly from the West and there is nothing to prevent them to give policy judgments to say land could not be left idle and companies should be allowed to develop the NCR land. The land belonged to the Dayaks but they will be prevented from enjoying their own property,” Voon added. 

The S4S movement, whose goals were later adopted by the late chief minister Adenan Satem, is calling for Sarawak to be recognised as a region and not a federated state.

Sarawak, along with Sabah, is also seeking to increase its oil royalty from the current 5% to 20%. Both states contribute some 60% of the country’s total oil output.

The Sarawak government is also calling for the Petroleum Development Act 1974 to be amended to allow it to have its own oil drilling and exploration company.

The state government also wants to control its own taxes and finances and be given the right to borrow to its own credit. PH has pledged that up to 50% of tax revenues collected from the Bornean states would be spent on development needs.

Sarawak also seeks to retain English as the official language for administration of its courts, state legislative assembly and schools. It also seeks to retain secularism by having no official religion, to draw up its own education syllabus and to hire its own residents for most civil service posts. – December 3, 2018.

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Comments

  • A IMPRESSIVE LIST ABOVE!..

    Posted 5 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

    • Retaining the international English language in primary, secondary, school and university will repay great dividends, like it was at the time of Malaya's independence from the British colonial rulers in 1957.

      Posted 5 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

    • The problems West Malaysia are now having especially with Umno & PAS Malay-educated people is to a great part due to lack of the ability to think critically? We need to bring back English education in a very big way to avoid future mishaps..

      Posted 5 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

    • My 2 best friends in A KL SENIOR SCHOOL WERE Malay boys who spoke good English and went on to secure coveted seats to study advanced Science and Maths. In the mid-196O's. The Malays esp, and other Malaysians were coming along well in English education until the shortsighted UmnoBN govt replaced English with mediocre Malay! We never recovered, and suffer today as a result..

      Posted 5 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

    • WAS DR. MAHATHIR ONE OF THOSE POLITICIANS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS DECLINE IN ENGLISH? He was English educated and studied medicine in Singapore!..

      Posted 5 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

    • After Dr. Mahathir published his revealing book about the Malays and their plight in "The Malay Dilemma" in 1969 he became Education Minister in 1974. So was he involved in English being downgraded? To the great detriment of the Malays especially, and other Malaysians? When he took on the Education Minister's portfolio after the 14th GE for a very short time, DID HE HAVE PLANS TO BRING BACK English education in a big way (SCIENCE & MATHS?), without downgrading Bahasa? His current replacement/successor Maszlee has any idea about this, and what to do about it?..

      Posted 5 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply