Just implement what’s in the constitution first – Jeffrey

KOTA KINALU: The special cabinet committee on Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) should focus on implementing what is in the Federal Constitution, including Article 112c/112d, said Parti Solidariti Tanahairku (STAR) president Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.

“The MA63 was concluded and signed in 1963. And after more than half a century, the MA63 has remained unimplemented nor complied with,” he said when commenting on Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal’s statement that “We are still negotiating...”

Jeffrey, who is also the Tambunan assemblyman, said: “It is either you implement what has been agreed, including the assurances and guarantees, or we ‘bubar (dismantle) MA63.’

“This is because the whole agreement has in fact been made illegal by non-compliance,” he said.

“For a long time now it’s been obvious that we need to renegotiate for a new agreement, with terms to be based on current situations and the people’s emerging values, expectations and aspirations for the future.

“Fifty-five years of noncompliance is long enough for an unimplemented agreement to become null and void,” Jeffrey lamented.

“Sabah and Sarawak have suffered long and hard enough by having been treated like colonies, with our sovereignties being usurped by Kuala Lumpur and Malayan political parties.

“During that long period of time, we have also lost most of our revenues and our mostvalued resources of oil and gas,” he said.

“If this situation remains where will our future be? Why have we, Sabah and Sarawak, tolerated this situation for such a very long time?” he asked.

“The real explanation is that we have been duped and played around with by the fine manoeuvring within Malaysian politics, and due to selfish selfinterests of our past leaders,” he opined.