Malaysia an illegal union, claims Sarawak opposition leader

Parti Bumi Kenyalang president Voon Lee Shan says Sarawak could produce 2,000 millionaires if it is not deprived of its oil rights by the Federation of Malaya.

KUCHING: A Sarawak opposition party leader today claimed Malaysia is an “illegal union” established by the United Kingdom.

Parti Bumi Kenyalang president Voon Lee Shan said the UK illegally transferred sovereignty over Sabah and Sarawak to the federation.

He said when the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) was made, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak were still British colonies.

Therefore, he said Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak did not have the legal capacity to enter into any agreement with the United Kingdom and the Federation of Malaya.

“The Cobbold Commission Report, which was used to legitimise the formation of Malaysia, is considered by many legal experts as having no credibility as a proper assessment of the people’s wishes.

“Out of a population of about 1.2 million, only 4,000 people were interviewed in Sabah and Sarawak by members of the Cobbold Commission to determine their wishes at the time,” he said at a press conference here today.

Voon said the findings of the Cobbold Commission were also never independently verified.

Sarawakians called for independence because they felt they had never been treated as an equal partner by the Federation of Malaya.

According to Voon, the ongoing negotiations behind closed doors between the federal and Sarawak governments, to rectify breaches in the MA63, were unacceptable as there was no transparency and no consultation with Sarawakians who were the most affected.

“Sarawakians are extremely aggrieved to see that their natural resources, inclusive of oil and gas, have been illegally plundered to benefit and develop the other states in Malaya after Parliament unconstitutionally enacted the Continental Shelf Act 1966, Petroleum Development Act 1974 and the Territorial Sea Act 2012.

“This illegal plundering of 850,000 barrels of crude oil every day easily produces more than RM200 million as revenue for federal coffers,” he said.

He said Sarawak, from oil alone, could produce about 2,000 millionaires if the state was not deprived of its rights by the Federation of Malaya. - FMT