Abang Johari’s dissenting view gives Sabahans, Sarawakians beacon of hope — Darell
KOTA KINABALU: Penampang member of parliament Darell Leiking yesterday applauded the rebuttal issued by Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg against the view issued by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Haji Mulia on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“The dissenting view issued by the Chief Minister of Sarawak provides a beacon of hope for Sabahans and Sarawakians in general to ensure that rightful respect be accorded to the two Borneo states,” Darell said.
“Of course, Pandikar has every right to express his opinion in relation to MA63, but for him to do so while holding the post as Speaker of the highest law making authority in the country clearly undermines the efforts by Sabahan and Sarawakian members of parliament who would want to debate on MA63 at the parliamentary level.
“You cannot become a referee and a player at the same time during a football match but this is exactly what Pandikar is doing … he is holding a post that requires him to display a certain amount of impartiality, credibility and fairness,” he stressed.
On the other hand, Darell pointed out the firm stand on MA63 shown by two Chief Ministers of Sarawak, the late Tan Sri Adenan Satem and currently Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg, received tacit support from Sarawakian opposition assemblymen.
Furthermore, Darell questioned whether the Sabah government had missed out on demanding for the full outcome of the Federal Government Committee on the Devolution of Authority jointly chaired by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nancy Shukri and Foreign Affairs Minister Anifah Aman.
He pointed out that this was now a pertinent issue following the alleged implication by the Sarawak Chief Minister that both chairpersons were neither effective nor in the right position to deal with Sarawak’s grievances.
“I wish to bring to the attention of all Sabahans, if the Chief Minister of Sarawak had clearly and already dismissed this ‘Federal Government technical committee jointly chaired by Nancy and Anifah’, what more of the unofficial committee or state authority established to discuss Sabah’s rights?
“I am also certain that Sarawakians are waiting for Sabahans to work together openly on the demands and implementations (of MA63),” he said.
Meanwhile, Darell emphasised that implementation of Article 8 of MA63 must be free from political expediency and start from the Sabah State Assembly.
“Irrespective of who holds the federal government, the state government must not allow political pressures or duress to impede the pursuance of MA63.
“Thus, the instruction to the state government for the actual and immediate implementation of MA63 should not originate from an executive order or Cabinet decision, but from the State Assembly because twothirds of Sabahans (through the two-thirds State Legislative Assembly majority) must agree that the mechanisms of MA63 be activated immediately and this is how the state government of Sarawak activated theirs.
“In fact, the two Borneo State Assemblies working in tandem would change and save the course of the Federation. This, among others, is what Warisan will do immediately once given the mandate to form the new state government of Sabah,” he concluded.