Najib must ‘correct lies, distortion of facts’

According to Bingkor assemblyman Jeffrey Kitingan, the prime minister missed the point when he stressed that the federal government would in no way neglect Sabah and Sarawak in development.

KOTA KINABALU: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak must call for a review of the 1963 Malaysia Agreement if he is genuinely interested in rectifying the injustices and grievances of the Borneo states.

Bingkor assemblyman Jeffrey Kitingan said if Najib is “sincere and serious” then he should “correct the lies, distortions and manipulations of the facts of history.”

He said Najib should “reactivate” by the  17 September (today) the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) to ensure and monitor the compliance of the Malaysia Agreement and form an independent Malaysia Review Committee.

“Prime Minister Najib Razak should look and address the problem head-on. This would entail a review and implementation of the Malaysia Agreement and the 20-Points (for Sabah) and 18-Points (for Sarawak) and restore the rights, privileges and autonomy of the Borneo States and de-occupy them and to bring Umno back to Malaya.

“The Federal Constitution needs to be amended to reflect the independence, autonomy and equal status of Sabah and Sarawak.  The Borneo States are not supposed to be the 12th and 13th States,” he said in conjunction with the Sept 16 Malaysia Day celebrations.

Kitingan said these steps were “necessary to chart the future of Malaysia for the next 50 years.”

He said Najib was in the best position, as prime minister, to pirotise Sabah and Sarawak save and further Malaysia.

“What is needed for Sabah and Sarawak is not just promises of not neglecting in development but a review, perhaps overhaul, and a sincere implementation of the Malaysia Agreement 1963,” he said alluding to Najib’s earlier Malaysia day message in which he said Sabah and Sarawak would not be left behind in development.

To Sabahans and the founding fathers of Sabah, the Malaysia is a nightmare of broken promises and shattered dreams.

These ‘truths’ were amply laid out by four distinguished “Tan Sris” who shared their experiences at a forum on “The Formation of Malaysia – The Untold Story” organized recently by the Sabah Society here.

The “Tan Sri’s” who Kitingan was referring to were Peter Lo, Ghani Gilong, Harris Salleh and Majid Khan Kalakhan.

Najib must address core issues

According to Kitingan, Najib missed the point when he stressing that the federal government would in no way neglect Sabah and Sarawak and would prioritise continued efforts to develop the economies of Sabah and Sarawak.

“If the federal government is not neglecting Sabah and Sarawak and their economies were a priority, the PM should on 17 September after his return to Putrajaya immediately announce the abolishment of the cabotage policy.

“ The cabotage policy has crippled the economies of Sabah and Sarawak and has forced Sabahans and Sarawakians to look for jobs in Singapore and the Peninsula. It has wreaked havoc in the daily lives of the locals with more expenses goods and services and higher costs of living, “ said Kitingan who is the younger brother of Sabah deputy chief minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan.

Pairins helm Parti Bersatu sabah which is a strong ally of Umno Sabah.

Kitingan further said that boasting that BN government has allocated RM2 billion since 2010 to implement 70 basic rural infrastructure projects in Sabah and Sarawak of which RM62.3 million was spent for SCORE and RM207 million for SDC is meaningless compared to the hundreds of billion taken from Sabah and Sarawak’s oil and gas.

“If this RM2 billion is what the PM meant as priorities and not neglecting of Sabah, one shudder at the thought what Sabah and Sarawak will get for the next five years under his rule unless he is booted out earlier by his own Umno elections,” he added.

He also said that if Najib is sincere in developing the Borneo States, then at least 50% of the revenues collected from Sabah and Sarawak should be returned to the two state governments for their development.