Sabah in right position to realise autonomy — SEEDS
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is in the right position now to materialise autonomy, said Society Empowerment and Economic Development of Sabah (SEEDS) senior fellow D Arnold Puyok.
The political analyst said autonomy is important for Sabah and its people.
“It touches a raw nerve as it is related to the local identity of Sabahans and their desire to manage their own affairs more effectively and efficiently.
“The Malaysia Agreement 1963 and the Federal Constitution are the ‘magna carta’ that protect Sabah’s unique position and identity in the federation,” he said.
He is of the opinion that the present government under the tripartite coalition of PHWarisan-Upko is in a better position to materialise autonomy as they were given the mandate by the people to administer the state for the next five years.
They must use their electoral mandate to fulfill their promises of making Sabah more autonomous, Arnold stressed.
He pointed out that Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad’s assurance to look into the Malaysia Agreement 1963 in order to give Sabah more autonomy is spot on and should be pursued by the government in its effort to find a better and practical way of decentralising power from the federal government.
“However, in our quest to give more power to Sabah, it is important that we take cognizance of the fact that the Malaysia Agreement 1963 is not just about Sabah but about Malaysia - giving more autonomy to Sabah is to empower the people of the state so that they can manage their own political, social and economic affairs more effectively and efficiently without sacrificing their Malaysian identity and the integrity of the federation. A federation after all is a system of government that recognises and safeguards the regional uniqueness of a territory and the cultural values of the people,” he said.
According to him, the government should take the cue from the people - what they want from autonomy is this: better services, efficient public servants, and effective implementation of policies.
Therefore, the government should go beyond rhetoric and should focus on the substantial matter: autonomy with a sense of accountability to the people. This means making the government more independent, more open, more resilient, and answerable to the people, he said.
The government can make a lot of difference if it chooses to go beyond polemical discussion and to introduce more practical policies on autonomy, he opined.
Arnold said the 14th general election is a watershed in our country’s political history as it marks the end of the Barisan Nasional’s rule since independence.
“It shows that indeed in a democratic society, it is the people who have the real power to decide the future of the country,” he said.
He said that the 14th general election was about the people and what they wanted the country to become in the future.
“The 14th general election is one of the most closely fought elections - what we see is a real democracy at work. What is even more refreshing is the transition of power that happened peacefully from BN to PH (Pakatan Harapan). This shows that the country is ever ready to move towards a mature democracy like the US, the UK and others in Europe and beyond. What this GE14 tells us is that democracy can work even in a young country like ours,” he said.
“Now that the new government has unveiled its cabinet lineup, it is no doubt a cabinet which combines the wisdom of the old and the enthusiasm of the young - this is part and parcel of the new Malaysia that we have long envisioned,” said Arnold.
“It may be too early to assess the performance of the new cabinet, but, as the people’s expectation is high, it is hoped that the new government will not hesitate to fulfil its promises of reforming the country, no matter how hard, difficult or arduous it may be by taking actions, namely to deliver on the promises of reforming the government institutions so that they will function effectively in serving the needs of the people with openness and integrity.”
Arnold said it must also ensure the separation of power between the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government by establishing an ombudsman body which would act as an arbiter to prevent abuse of power as well as promote and enliven the spirit of Malaysia as enshrined in the Malaysian Agreement 1963 and the Federal Constitution by increasing the sense of belonging among each of the different territories in Malaysia.
“The new government also needs to to expedite the process of decentralising power/authority to Sabah and Sarawak, and gradually to the states throughout the federation to ensure the resilience and effectiveness of local authorities and to empower citizens at the local level,” he stressed.
The Society Empowerment and Economic Development of Sabah (SEEDS) is a Sabah-based NGO and think tank established in 2015 by a group of professional Sabahans to promote progressive thinking and society in Sabah and beyond.
Any enquires about SEEDS can be sent to seedssabah1@gmail.com.