Maverick Sabah politician Jeffrey Kitingan is calling for Sabah and Sarawak to have its own 'capitalist economic and political systems'.
PENAMPANG: The People’s Republic of China may be the last place to look for a lesson on ‘good governance’ but unorthodox politician Jeffrey Kitingan believes it may have the answer to how the federal government should deal with Sabah and Sarawak.
With Hong Kong booming and enjoying a certain degree of autonomy, its separation of powers for the region is being viewed as a role-model by some, at least in Sabah where rumblings of discontent have remained for decades.
A former PKR vice-president, who left the party to concentrate on his non-governmental organisation, United Borneo Front (UBF), Jeffrey believes Malaysia should adopt the ‘one country, two systems’ policy to allow Sabah and Sarawak to have their own capitalist economic and political systems.
Speaking at a press conference here yesterday, he said the federal government should allow Sabah and Sarawak to develop their own systems.
“Sabah and Sarawak are different compared to Peninsular Malaysia. Our rights are not the same as theirs.
“Our geography is different and we do not have economic growth as the other states in the peninsula have,” said Jeffrey.
He said the 20-points agreement had clearly stated that Sabah and Sarawak are equal partners with the peninsula and not one of the states in Malaysia.
Apart from the cabotage policy that many want demolished, Jeffrey stressed Sabah should also have its own education system without depending on Kuala Lumpur.
He urged all Sabah leaders to unite and speak with one voice on the rights of Sabahans without being hindered by their political agenda.
Prioritise native supremacy
Jeffrey and UBF co-founder, Nilakrisna James jointly announced that their main agenda should be prioritised as a team, even if they belonged to different political parties.
They urged for priority in the fight for native supremacy when it comes to native land ownership, native land rights, native customary rights and pusaka land rights.
James announced that she will host a UBF Malaysia Day tea party at former state native leader OKK Sedomon’s Rumah Besar in Bingkor on the Sept 16 with some members of the Sedomon clan.
“Jeffrey and I are doing this in Sedomon’s honour and we will celebrate the occasion on my grand dad’s turf, talking about the issues which Sedomon was deeply passionate about.
“Before the tea party, we will pay our respect to the Batu Sumpah (an oath stone) which was commissioned by Sedomon.
“This is a spiritual journey for both Jeffrey and I and is a very important one before the next general election,” she added.
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