60 years of being part of Malaysia: Sarawak has reached its adulthood

 

AS Sarawakians welcome the new year, we reflect on more than 60 years of being part of Malaysia and ask ourselves an honest question about our future. After all, Sarawak has reached its adulthood.

Adulthood, in political and social terms, means maturity, responsibility, and the ability to decide one’s own future. It does not mean anger, hostility, or hatred. It means self-respect, confidence, and accountability.

Sarawak’s place in Malaysia was founded on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63). Under MA63, Sarawak joined the Federation as an equal partner, not as a subordinate state or colony. Safeguards were promised to protect Sarawak’s autonomy, rights, resources, and identity.

Over the decades, many of these MA63 safeguards were eroded, diluted, or ignored through the centralisation of power.

Decisions about Sarawak’s land, oil, gas, forests, and future have often been made without the free, informed, and meaningful consent of the Sarawakian people.

Yet Sarawak continues to stand strong.

We are a land rich in natural resources, culture, and human talent. Our people are hardworking. Our communities live together in peace and harmony despite our differences. From our villages and longhouses to our towns and cities, we already demonstrate the ability to govern ourselves responsibly.

Reaching adulthood also means asking honest and necessary questions: Why should Sarawak remain dependent when we are capable? Why should our resources enrich others while many Sarawakians still struggle? Why should our children inherit less control over their future than MA63 promised and justice demands?

What we see happening in West Malaysia today should be a wake-up call. Politics there is becoming more unstable, more divided, and more obsessed with race and religion than with the real struggles of ordinary people.

While politicians argue about identity and power, the rakyat are dealing with rising prices, low wages, and uncertainty about the future. Race and religion are being used to scare people, not to unite them. This kind of politics tears society apart.

Sarawakians do not want this path. We value coexistence, mutual respect, and harmony among different races and religions. Our way of life is different, and we want to protect it.

This is why many Sarawakians speak about autonomy and independence not out of hatred, but out of self-preservation. We want decisions about Sarawak to be made by Sarawakians, based on our values, our realities, and our future.

We have grown up. And we have the right to choose a better path.

Many Sarawakians are calling for independence but you must remember that independence is not about breaking friendships or rejecting cooperation. It is about standing on our own feet as an adult society.

An independent Sarawak can continue to trade, cooperate, and live peacefully with others while ensuring that decisions about Sarawak are made by Sarawakians, in the spirit and principle of MA63.

This is not about politics.

This is about dignity.

This is about fairness.

This is about our children’s future.

Sarawak has reached its adulthood. 

Peter John Jaban is the founder of Saya Anak Sarawak and the deputy president of Global Human Rights Federation (Malaysia).

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT. 

- Focus Malaysia.