Warisan nudges Anifah to quit over MA63

Youth chief Azis Jamman says Sabahans see Najib’s promise of returning state rights to Sabah as a political gimmick

KUDAT: Parti Warisan Sabah’s youth wing has prodded Umno’s Anifah Aman to make good on his promise to leave the party if the Malaysia Agreement of 1963 (MA63) is not implemented.

Youth chairman Azis Jamman noted that prime minister and Umno president Najib Razak had asserted last week that the rights under the treaty would be realised “by consensus”.

MA63 is a foundational document signed by the Federation of Malaya with Sabah and Sarawak to form Malaysia.

Aziz said that Anifah should join Warisan in the struggle to realise MA63 state rights if he was a man of his word.

Local newspapers reported that he made the pledge on March 11. He reportedly said he would not stay “one more day in Umno” or accept any ministerial post if Najib did not fulfil the rights of Sabahans as provided for under the agreement.

Anifah, elected as Kimanis MP in 2013, served as foreign minister in Najib’s cabinet.

He was reported to have said that his undertaking was in response to opposition parties that disputed Najib’s assurance, and added that Najib was known to keep his promises.

Azis, a former Semporna Umno Youth chief, claimed that Sabahans were restless as they viewed Najib’s promise of returning the rights of the state as a political gimmick.

“This seems to have been proven true,” he said

“When Barisan Nasional launched its manifesto, one of the pledges made to Sabah and Sarawak was to make the rights of Sabah and Sarawak in the MA63 a reality but only by consensus,” he added.

According to a statement by Warisan, Azis said this at a gathering attended by some villagers of Karakit on Banggi island, off

Sabah’s northern Kudat district, today.

Also present were Warisan president Shafie Apdal, former Liberal Democratic Party president VK Liew, former Parti Cinta Sabah deputy president Paul Voon and former Berjaya deputy minister Ahmadshah Tambakau.

Opposition politicians had criticised Najib’s statement on the issue when he announced BN’s election manifesto on April 7.

Sabah Progressive Party president Yong Teck Lee claimed that it was a “trick” to deny the implementation of MA63 because there would be no consensus “as long as Malaya (the federal government) did not agree”. -- FMT