Wan Junaidi urged to table motion to restore Sarawak, Sabah status

KUCHING: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sarawak has urged Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar to table a motion in Parliament to restore the original status of Sarawak and Sabah in accordance with the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

Its secretary Joshua Jabeng said as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Parliament and Law and as a Sarawakian, Wan Junaidi needs to “clear up and end the confusion” that downgraded Sarawak and Sabah to the level of states in 1976.

He said it was time to listen to the voices of the people of Sarawak and Sabah who are no longer willing to be treated unfairly and neglected for so long that they have fallen to the poorest level in the country.

“The action by the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) members of Parliament to abstain from voting on the amendment bill in 2019 is deeply regrettable. It seems to have been a deliberate conspiracy to thwart the sincere efforts of the (then) PH (Pakatan Harapan) government.

“This will of course be recorded as a black spot that is difficult to forget by the about six million people of Sarawak and Sabah,” he said in a statement.

Joshua said this in reference to Article 5 in the Appendix to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Pakatan Harapan and the federal government under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He hoped GPS MPs including Wan Junaidi would not let the people of Sarawak down again.

He said as the golden opportunity has re-emerged under this MoU, PKR Sarawak appealed to all representatives, leaders, community leaders and the people of Sarawak as a whole to put aside all differences of opinion.

“Let us come together and stand in unity to fight for our common interests. The fifth item in a valid MoU signed is the legal platform and the best platform to redeem our dignity as equal partners in Malaysia,” he stressed.

Joshua said all documents related to the special rights of Sarawak and Sabah must be tabled and approved by the Dewan Rakyat within approximately 20 months before Parliament is dissolved in 2023.

“We just want to be treated fairly as Malaysians who are truly independent and free from poverty.

“We want to enjoy modern infrastructure, economic prosperity, education, health services and national standard wellbeing,” he added.