New Malaysia Agreement will not guarantee happiness to Sarawak’s future - Parti Bumi Kenyalang

10 July 2022

By Wartawan Nabalu News

KUCHING: Exiting from the federation is the best solution for Sarawak as a new Malaysia Agreement will not guarantee happiness to Sarawak's future, said Parti Bumi Kenyalang.

Its president Voon Lee Shan said the party maintains the stand that Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) is void ab initio for many reasons.

According to him, even if valid at the time it was entered into on 9 July 1963, the Agreement collapsed due to fundamental breaches or omissions in the implementation of the terms and conditions therein or the agreement collapsed after Singapore exited from Malaysia in 1965.

He stated that the idea of a new Malaysia Agreement proposed or agreed by some politicians shows that Malaysia has not been a workable federation.

“We should not, therefore keep on misleading ourselves and our future generations that Malaysia is a workable federation when it is not, else, we shall regret even if we go to the grave.

“If things no more is workable, it is time that the federation should break up. Sarawak with its rich natural resources and vast land can easily survive if Sarawak breaks away from the federation, but, it is doubtful whether Malaya will,” he said in a statement today.

“Malaya may wish to hold on to Sarawak as part of her territory but there is nothing under the law to prevent Sarawak to exit from the federation, if Sarawak chooses to do so.

“Sarawak has a right to seek exit from the federation of Malaysia if Sarawak is not happy with the federation.

This was mentioned by Lord Lansdowne, the Chairman of Inter Governmental Committee (IGC) when he came to North Borneo (Sabah) and Sarawak in August 1962 to work out constitutional arrangements and the form of necessary safeguards in connection with the proposed Federation of Malaysia,” he added.

Voon also mentioned that his party maintains that to help formed the federation of Malaysia was a grave mistake by Sarawak and Sarawak should seek to exit from the federation peacefully before it is too late.

According to him, if Sarawak continues to be in the federation, there may be a serious civil unrest and violence worse than May 13, 1969 and could perhaps be worst than the killing of Madurese migrants in 1997 and 2001 by native Dayaks in Kalimantan.

“This is because there is rising unhappiness among Sarawakians about the ways how Sarawak and Sarawakians been treated by Malaya or by the federal government. This unhappiness is a "political time bomb" ready to explode at anytime.

“Tension is there now because of increasing numbers of migrants and Malayans taking up employment and business away from Sarawakians. Tension could be seen from bitter Court cases and land blockades by natives when they were fighting against encroachment of their land especially by mega companies from Malaya.

“If Sarawak had been discriminated, mistreated or shortchanged for the past 59 years, do we think it will not be possible for further discrimination and mistreatment by Malaya or by the federal government even if a new Malaysia Agreement is made?

“By being in the federation, Sarawak had lost its marine wealth, sea territories, oil and gas besides losing revenues collected by federal departments and also losing many huge land to the federal government and companies from Malaya,” he asserted.

Voon also noted that Sarawak also has no control over the civil service with many if not most top posts in government departments in Sarawak headed by officers from Malaya.

“There are many cases pending in court now involving native land alleged to have been alienated or trespassed into by mega companies from Malaya and dayaks are not happy about this.

“There is no reason why prices of most if not all services and goods including food and building materials are more expensive than in Malaya. From surveys made, most are expensive by at least 5% to 10%.

“Being federated with the federation of Malaya has seen Sarawakians being treated as second or third class citizens in Malaysia as the protection of rights in the federal constitution had not been implemented by the federal government.

“The federal government is controlled by the federation of Malaya and ministers from Sabah and Sarawak have very little voice in the cabinet and in parliament,” he said.