BEYOND amending the federal constitution to restore Sabah and Sarawak’s status as equal partners in the Federation of Malaysia are fine details that no one can imagine just quite yet.
MPs from both states have welcomed Putrajaya’s intention to amend Article 1(2), to recognise the states as equal and sovereign entities to Malaya, as this will give them more revenue and autonomy over their own affairs.
But, Bandar Kuching lawmaker Dr Kelvin Yii said the states must also be careful of pitfalls, lest the gains of equal status end up benefiting only a few.
While a larger slice of the pie will help Sarawak develop faster, he cautioned against letting money flow in without proper checks and balances.
Governance matters must be improved, or the money could land in the hands of the elite few, he said.
“The state government has to share equal responsibility in developing Sarawak. At the moment, it is just pushing problems to the federal government,” he told The Malaysian Insight.
Revenue and development
The core of Sabah and Sarawak’s problems, said DAP’s Yii, is inequitable development.
“Sarawak is the third-largest contributor of GDP for Malaysia, yet, it has the highest number of hardcore poor.
“The change in status will give us the right to redetermine the share of revenue from oil and other mineral resources.”
Putatan MP Awang Husaini Sahari, of PKR, said Sabah has been denied its share of tax revenue collected in the state.
“Taxes from Sabah should be returned to the state government.”
One of the complaints that Sabahans have is that they continue to receive only RM26.7 million each year based on an amount agreed to in 1963, although Article 112 of the federal constitution provides for a review every five years.
The constitution also states that Sabah is entitled to a 40% share of the tax revenue collected in the state.
Another grouse that the two territories have is regarding the 5% share of oil and gas revenue on minerals found within their borders.
In the last elections, Pakatan Harapan had promised to raise the share to 20%.
Decentralisation from Putrajaya
While a bigger share of oil and gas revenue is important, Puncak Borneo MP Willie Mongin feels that Sarawak’s control over its own matters – such as religion – has been eroded over time.
“We have no issues about Islam being the official religion of the federation, but when it comes to state, Sarawak is a secular state,” said the PKR man.
Willie and Awang feel that another aspect lost over the years is the “Borneonisation policy”, a term used to describe having Sabahans and Sarawakians as heads of civil service agencies in the states.
“This is part of our agreement during the formation of Malaysia, and must be honoured,” said the duo.
Yii, however, warned against moving too fast on the subject of autonomy.
The medical doctor said while it is true that many decisions on Sarawak are made in Putrajaya, the state must not get “overly nationalist”.
“There’s a movement going around, asking for Malayan doctors to go back to Peninsular Malaysia. But with 56% of the doctors here coming from the peninsula, Sarawak’s healthcare would collapse if they are all sent back.
“Many peninsula Malaysians have dedicated their lives to helping Sarawak, and should not be sidelined because of nationalistic sentiments.
“At the same time, in areas such as education, for instance, it makes more sense for the state to decide where to send teachers as it knows local needs better than Putrajaya.”
Immigration is another tricky issue, with Malaysians from the peninsula feeling it is unfair to be required to apply for permits to work in Sabah and Sarawak, while those from the two states are not subjected to the same rule when working in the peninsula.
Yii and Willie believe that Sabah and Sarawak should keep control over their borders as full immigration autonomy for the states was agreed to during the formation of Malaysia.
“Sarawakians have the privilege of working anywhere in the peninsula, but peninsula Malaysians cannot do the same in Sarawak. This is the social contract we agreed on during the formation,” said Willie.
“I understand the inconveniences and grouses of peninsula Malaysians, but we want to go back to what was agreed on. We will keep it unless there’s a need to change it,” said Yii.
Reset button
The amendment to Article 1(2) of the federal constitution, to reinstate Sabah and Sarawak’s equal status, will likely be tabled during the current Parliament sitting, which ends on April 11.
At present, the article lists Sabah and Sarawak as states of the federation, and the amendment would remove the definition of the two territories as “states”.
“While the amendment to Article 1(2) seems superficial on the surface, it is an important step towards returning to the initial spirit of the formation,” said Yii.
“It’s like pressing the reset button.
“Take, for instance, the Malaysia Agreement 1963 cabinet committee. Now, Sabah and Sarawak are just representatives in the discussion. But after the amendment, they will be there as equal partners.”
the malaysian insight
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