Awg Tengah: Offer to debate contradicts view of Sabahans
KUCHING: The offer by Parliament Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia to have a public debate on Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) with Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg contradicts the view of the people of Sabah and also the Prime Minister.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, who joined the bandwagon in disagreeing with the Speaker’s gesture to the Chief Minister, said he was astonished by such remark made by a leader from Sabah as Sabahans themselves were also demanding their rights enshrined under MA63.
“I cannot believe what I read in the newspaper when a leader from Sabah asked our Chief Minister to debate on the matter where both states (Sabah and Sarawak) have interests and where the people there ( Sabah) also want what is rightfully theirs under MA63,” he said.
“The truth is that he (Pandikar) is contradicting himself with the wishes of the people in Sabah and he is also contradicting himself with the Prime Minister,” added Awang Tengah.
He made these remarks when closing the annual general meeting of representatives of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Gedong branch and Simunjan branch at Penview Hotel here on Tuesday night.
Awang Tengah, who is also Second
I cannot believe what I read in the newspaper when a leader from Sabah asked our Chief Minister to debate on the matter where both states (Sabah and Sarawak) have interests and where the people there (Sabah) also want what is rightfully theirs under MA63.
Minister of Urban Development and Natural Resources and Minister of Industrial and Entrepreneur Development, emphasised that the Prime Minister had openly said many times in public rallies in Sarawak and Sabah that even though the rights might have slowly eroded away, the people of Sarawak and Sabah had every right to claim what is rightfully theirs.
“Let Pandikar’s stand on MA63 be decided and judged by the people of Sabah,” he said.
Awang Tengah, who is also PBB senior vice president, called on all PBB members of the two branches to give strong support to the Chief Minister in the fight for Sarawak’s rights “because we have found much evidence during our visit to London especially on Sarawak’s rights”.
“I had been following the Chief Minister to London and I had the opportunity to look into the file and there is enough evidence for Sarawak to claim what is ours,” he said.
Awang Tengah added that the Chief Minister is in a very good position to fight for Sarawak’s rights under MA63 and had confidence in him as he is the son of the late Tun Abang Openg, who was one of the individuals who signed MA63.
“So we and all the people of Sarawak must and will continue to support him to get our rights and interests back,” he stressed.
Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, Deputy Chief Minister