Picture Credit: Awais Bin Aziz

 

 

Equalisation of the vote in Malaya should not include Sabah and Sabah as it's a political problem between the Malays and non-Malays.

 

Press Statement . . . 

We note the strong push by NGOs such as Sarawak Rose, Bersih, Engage, and Tindak Malaysia for the Borneo states to be given more than one-third of senatorial seats.

 

After strong pushback from Sabah and Sarawak, they have now issued a statement dated Sept 21 giving a set of reasons. This was published in Malaysiakini.

 

We reject the reasons given in the statement because they do not address the fundamental issues. The fundamental issues are the following:

 

We are requesting a historical correction to the mistake made in 1965. When the federation of Malaysia was established in 1963, North Borneo (Sabah), Sarawak, and Singapore received more than 34 per cent of the seats in the Dewan Rakyat.

 

This was an important “safeguard” requested by North Borneo (Sabah), Sarawak, and Singapore. When Singapore left the federation in 1965, Malayan officials should have followed the original ratio and redistributed the Singapore seats to Sabah and Sarawak.

 

As a result, we are requesting a correction for a historical error. This correction is similar to the constitutional amendment made in 2021 when the original wording was put back in Article 1 (2) of the Federal Constitution. It was to “right” a historical “wrong” in 1976.

 

All agree that Dewan Negara lacks political legitimacy. Their members are appointed by the Agong and state assemblies rather than being directly chosen by the rakyat.

 

You cannot expect a non-elected chamber to have the authority to speak out for Sabah and Sarawak with legitimacy. If the Dewan Negara were powerful, Singapore, North Borneo and Sarawak leaders would have requested a third of the Dewan Negara seats back in 1963. The fact that they wanted one-third of the seats in Dewan Rakyat indicates that they knew where power lay.

 

In summary, using today’s lens and half-truths to push for Dewan Negara to meet the one-third criteria is disingenuous and an insult to Sabahans and Sarawakians.

 

The Malayan NGOs may want to reform the electoral system in Malaya, but they should do so without harming the interests of Sabah and Sarawak.

 

Their push for more equalisation of the vote in Malaya should not include Sabah and Sabah as it is a political problem in Malaya between the Malays and non-Malays. It has nothing to do with Sabah and Sarawak.

 

We urge all Sarawakians and Sabahans to unite on this issue and reject the suggestions by Sarawak Rose, Bersih, Engage, and Tindak Malaysia. They do not have Sabah and Sarawak's best interests at heart.

 

 

Endorsed by:

 

1. Sarawak Association For Peoples' Aspiration (Sapa)

 

2. Dayak International Organisation (Dio)

 

3. Mopot - Moningolig Pogun Tokou (Defenders of Ancestral Lands Sabah)

 

4. Gindol Initiative for Civil Society Borneo 

 

5. Pertubuhan Kebajikan Rumpun Dayak Sabah (PKRDS) 

 

6. Gabungan orang Asal Sarawak (Goass)

 

7. Persatuan Etnik Dayak Asal Sarawak (Pedas)

 

8. Sarawak Institute of International Affairs (Sipa)

 

9. Sabah Action Body Advocating Rights (Sabar)

 

10. Sabah Entitlement & Equity Now (Seen)

 

11. Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (Sadia)

 

 

 

The Press Statement first appeared here . . . 

https://www.malaysiakini.com/columns/720974

 

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in the Press Statement do not necessarily represent those of the Center for Policy Initiatives (CPI).