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KOTA KINABALU – A Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) component party has politely spurned the call by the coalition’s deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan for a “New Malaysia Agreement” to replace the original document that paved the way to the formation of Malaysia in 1963.
Stressing that there is no need for such a new agreement, Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) leader Datuk Seri Wilfred Bumburing said it would only further delay the realisation of the rights of Sabah and Sarawak, whose people have waited for nearly 60 years.
“When Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan suggested a new Malaysia Agreement, we believe that it was made with good intention on his part,” Bumburing said.
“He had related to the ongoing, but snail-paced discussion on Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“We, however, feel that there is no need for a new agreement because MA63 contains the details of rights of Sabah.
“It is illogical that after sixty years of existence as a federation, a new agreement is to be made. The discussion on the existing agreement is already taking a lot of time.
“To draft a new agreement will take a longer time, what more on the implementation of the agreement,” said Bumburing here today.
New Malaysia Agreement needs new spirit, aspiration in restoring Sabah rights: Tok Mat
On July 2, Mohamad, fondly known as Tok Mat, had suggested that the Sabah BN leadership propose the New Malaysia Agreement as a more concrete way forward towards realising the state's rights and demands enshrined under MA63.
He reasoned that the New Malaysia Agreement would need to be underpinned by a new spirit, context and aspiration in restoring the rights and interests of Sabah, and at the same time, strengthening the Federation of Malaysia.
“Maybe we need a new agreement. In my opinion, the spirit and aspiration of MA63 are in a very different context,” Mohamad said at the launch of the Sabah BN Convention in Penampang last week.
“Times have changed. Malaysia is also a lot different now,” he claimed.
“The future is full of secrets and extraordinary potential. We must look at everything in the context of the future, no longer looking at the historical past.”
Bumburing is a seasoned politician who formerly served as Tuaran MP and Tamparuli assemblyman with Upko before joining PBRS this year.
The PBRS Tuaran division coordinator is also a former president of Parti Cinta Sabah.
A new agreement to replace the MA63 proposal was already put forward by Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan previously, but it was shot down by Parti Bersatu Sabah president, Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili.
Ongkili, who is Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Sabah and Sarawak Affairs, said that the realisation of Sabah’s rights lies in the federal government’s sincerity and commitment to implement the MA63 and not a new deal.
“BN needs to clearly put this issue in the manifesto for the coming election to assure Sabahans that the incoming government is committed to put this issue to rest so that the country can move on based on the new order,” he said.
Tackle four out of 21 remaining issues regarding MA63 first: Warisan leader
Yesterday, Warisan deputy president Datuk Darell Leiking had said Mohamad should first solve the four remaining issues out of 21 identified under the MA63 Cabinet Special Committee.
“Even the current (demands under) MA63 cannot be resolved. What more a new agreement! I would say, don’t play with the MA63, Sabah, and Sarawak,” he said.
He added that any new deal would require the Truth Commission to reveal how much Sabah had lost over the years, including the state’s fiscal loss.
In a statement yesterday, Kitingan clarified that a new agreement is necessary to clearly define the status of each entity – Sabah, Sarawak, and Malaya.
He said the MA63 was signed on a different premise and in a period when Sabah and Sarawak did not have a voice to agree or disagree with any of the terms in the agreement.
“A new agreement is the only approach to address the question of Malaysia. I am glad that Mohamad mentioned a new agreement.
“However, I do not necessarily agree with his reasoning.” – The Vibes, July 5, 2022