“IT IS IMPORTANT to understand that the 20-Points are minimum conditions for Sabah agreeing to be part of the Malaysia Project. And, as pointed out by the former Archives Director, “it is a memorandum of conditions” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan in a statement issued today in response to the various discussions on the subject.
The 20-Points, being a list of conditions, submitted by the leaders of the five Sabah political parties (UNKO, USNO, Pasok, DP, UP) are, therefore an important milestone in the creation of Malaysia.
Without these conditions being agreed and discussed one can conclude that there would have been no Malaysia. It is that important!
Therefore, people, including politicians and the former State Archives Director should not be quick and shallow to dismiss the 20-Points Memorandum merely at its face value but what they represent i.e. the desires and concerns of the British, the North Borneo and Malaya.
The “weird” conditions referred to by Datu Tigabelas are actually the results of earlier discussions by all parties (British, Malaya and North Borneo) that led to the final 20-Points Memorandum document.Reference can be made to the bundle “British documents” released recently.
The 20-Points are not the only important valid documents in the formation of Malaysia.
Article 14 of the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report also states:
“14. In certain aspects the Committee agree that the requirements of the Borneo States could appropriately be met by undertakings or assurances to be given by the Government of the Federation of Malaya rather than by Constitutional provisions and these are mentioned in the appropriate sections of this Report. The Committee agreed that the more important undertakings should be included in the formal agreement and envisaged that the other undertakings and assurances might be dealt with in exchanges of letters between the Governments concerned.”
The above quote from the IGC Report clearly validates not just the 20-Points Memorandum but even “letters of exchanges” as well as undertakings and assurances.
In addition to the validation of the 20-Points by IGC Report, Article 8 of the Malaysia Agreement also validates “assurances and undertakings” (some of which were verbal) as in the assurance given by Tunku Abdul Rahman to Donald Stephens that “Sabah and Sarawak will not become the 12th or 13th States of Malaya”.
Article 8 reads:
“The Governments of the Federation of Malaya, North Borneo and Sarawak will take such legislative, executive or other action as may be required to implement the assurances, undertakings and recommendations contained in Chapter 3 of, and Annexes A and B to, the Report of the Inter-Governmental Committee signed on 27th February, 1963, in so far as they are not implemented by express provision of the Constitution of Malaysia.
While various personalities have made significant opinions on the 20-Points, none have fully captured the essence and the overall importance of the 20-Points.
It is important to view and understand the significance of the 20-Points by connecting it as part of a jig-saw-puzzle. Do not look at the 20-Points in isolation.
It is part of the big Malaysia puzzle. If the 20-Points is missing in the jig-saw puzzle, there is no solution to the puzzle – there is no Malaysia!
If the 20 points were useless and invalid, why would Mahathir had detained me for raising the issue of the 20-Points 20 years ago? - Sabahkini
perkara 20 adalah penting dalam pembentukan Malaysia, tanpa perkara tersebut Malaysia takkan wujud, jadi ia perlu dipertahankan.
ReplyDeleteItulah pentingnya 20 Perkara ni untuk dipenuhi. Pemimpin Sabah sama2lah berjuang agar tuntutan selama ni tidak diabaikan.
ReplyDelete20 Perkara adalah memorandum yang dihasilkan daripada temuan IGC sebagai syarat penyertaan Borneo Utara membentuk Negara Malaysia. Apabila negara dibentuk, maka Perlembagaan Negara juga terwujud dengan mengambilkira, 20 Perkara itu. Apapun ia masih belum dilaksanakan sepenuhnya.
ReplyDeleteperkara 20 harus kita perjuangkan, semua yang ada dalam perkara itu harus dilaksanakan.
DeleteMaka kita harus menyokong 20 perkara ini untuk terus mengekalkan Sabah pada Malaysia. Jika tidak pasti akan berlaku sesuatu jika 20 perkara ini dibatalkan.
ReplyDelete20 perkara ini bukannya satu permainan politik. 20 perkara ini adalah hak sebenar penduduk Sabah.
ReplyDeleteSuddenly some people want to argue the validity of 20 Points.
ReplyDeletePairin said PBS also wanted the process of changing to the new identity card next year to be further clarified.
DeletePBS president Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan announced that he wished to re-contest the Keningau parliamentary. he also expressed confidence that the people’s support for the Barisan Nasional in Keningau has remained strong. He said the people must continue to back the ruling coalition because it has an unblemished record.
ReplyDelete“ 20 Perkara Sabah” adalah 20 tuntutan yang telah dimasuk dan diserap ke dalam undang-undang perlembagaan Negara Malaysia sekarang. Namun perkara ini tidak dapat dilihat dengan mata kasar, jika kita mengkaji perundangan perlembagaan Malaysia sekarang, “20 Perkara Sabah” memang telah dilaksanakan didalam perundangan Negeri Sabah mahupun Kerajaan Persekutuan.
ReplyDeleteselepas 10 tahun Sabah menyertai Malaysia, dan sehingga kini, 48 tahun Sabah Merdeka didalam gagasan Malaysia . Sabah tidak pernah lagi berdepan dengan satu situasi cemas yakni tidak berlaku konfrontasi antara rakyat Sabah kepada Kerajaan Persekutuan. Kehidupan harmonis menjadi pegangan utama rakyat Sabah dan inilah bukti mengapa pada tempoh tersebut tidak ada pungutan suara untuk mengkaji semula Perjanjian Malaysia.
ReplyDelete