Listen to voices of dissent, CM told

KOTA KINABALU: A Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) leader urged Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor to listen to the voices of dissent on the alleged mistreatment by the Federal government all this while.

Warisan Putatan’s KDM bureau chairman Mathew Yong said if Hajiji wants harmony (in the state), he should also take the calls for Sabah to secede from Malaysia which is growing in momentum seriously.

“Hajiji as the leader of the state must listen to the voice of the rakyat who are angry with treatment of Malaya in the 58 years of being in Malaysia,” he stressed.

Yong said that other than Sepanggar Member of Parliament Datuk Azis Jamman who had raised the issue of Sabah seceding from Malaysia, the matter was also touched on by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.

According to Yong, Dr Jeffrey who is STAR President had voiced out his concern about the alleged unfair treatment to Sabah and Sarawak which had resulted in 60 per cent of the residents in both states urging that they secede from Malaysia.

Yong claimed that the issue of Sabah seceding from Malaysia is not longer empty talk as it is now on the lips of everyone notwithstanding age and gender.

“As people are realising the fact that Malaya had robbed Sabahans of many of their rights, the issue is now a hot topic not only on social media but also in coffeeshops,” he said

Yong said that Sabah can obtain independence through the United Nations without needing Malaya’s agreement. He claimed that after 58 years of being part of Malaysia, Sabah which is rich in natural resources is one of the poorest states in the country.

“Not only was the status of Sabah and Sarawak relegated from regions to states, Sabah’s oil was turned into Umno’s fund through the Petroleum Development Act 1974 and the Territorial Sea Act 2912 (Act 750).

“Hajiji needs to stress that in order to save and for the sake of harmony in Malaysia, Malaya must return Sabah’s 39 per cent GDP contribution to the federal government, not including the 40 per cent annual tax,” he stressed.

Yong disclosed that in 2020, Sabah through its GDP, contributed about RM60 billion to the country.

“When Malaysia was formed through the Malaysia Agreement 1963, Tunku Abdul Rahman clearly stated that allocation will be divided 33 per cent each for Sabah, Sarawak and the federation of Tanah Melayu respectively,” he pointed out.

Hajiji said on Friday that Malaysia will remain as one country forever. He said when the nation was formed in 1963, Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia came together as one.

“So when we’ve formed a nation, we must make sure this country remains ours, one that gives hope and future to all its citizens regardless of race and religion,” he said when responding to Azis’ debate speech in Parliament recently, where among others, he said ‘from the United Nations (UN) we came, we can also go back to the UN to solve the Malaysia Agreement 1963 issues.’

Azis had claimed there seemed to be a growing separation sentiment calling for secession as many were not satisfied with the Federal Government for not fulfilling the terms in the MA63.