NAJIB'S CARROT TO ADENAN, MUSA: Autonomy for Sabah, Sarawak PRELUDE TO FULL INDEPENDENCE?

KOTA KINABALU - Former Sabah Chief Minister Harris Salleh has proposed that all states in Malaysia be offered autonomy and not just Sabah and Sarawak. “After all, Malaysia is a Federation,” he pointed out. “If Sabah and Sarawak get autonomy, the other states likewise should be given autonomy as well.”

He was commenting on Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak saying in Kuching recently that Sarawak would be given autonomy by way of devolution viz. transferring Federal Government Departments in the state to the control of the state government.

The former Chief Minister also wanted to stress that if only Sabah and Sarawak, among all the states in Malaysia, are given autonomy, “it means the Opposition has won.”

“Perhaps, the Federal Government was giving autonomy to Sabah and Sarawak only in preparation for granting them full independence.”

He warned that the Opposition would exploit Najib’s statement and claim that he has finally acceded to their demands. “It must be pointed out that no one has so far come up with what sort of autonomy that Sabah, for example, would get and in what areas.”

Autonomy means, added Harris, self-government. “Najib only mentioned transferring Federal Government Departments to the control of the Sarawak Government.”

“I think that what he meant to say was that he would delegate more powers to the Sarawak Government and probably Sabah too. The Federal Government Departments in Sabah and Sarawak in fact have very little power. They are just post boxes. Everything has to be referred to Putrajaya.”

“If the Federal Government was really serious about giving Sabah and Sarawak more powers, it should hand over the collection of income tax and Customs duties to the state governments.”

The Federal and State Lists are clear, Harris continued, in what sort of powers the state governments would have. “Any amendment to the Federal and State Lists would require an amendment to the Federal Constitution.”

“As the Lists stand there’s nothing much by way of power that the Federal Government can transfer to the state governments in Sabah and Sarawak.” - FMT