Tackle unequal development instead of referendum, says Sabah leader

 

A Sarawak state minister says answers to requests for better roads, schools and medical facilities do not seem to be forthcoming.

PETALING JAYA: More attention should be paid on tackling the unequal development of Sabah and Sarawak rather than a referendum on the Malaysia Agreement (MA63), says a former federal minister.

Abdul Rahman Dahlan said Sabahans were strongly united in their demand that MA63 provisions be fulfilled by Putrajaya. “A referendum is only needed if Sabahans are split over implementation of MA63,” he told FMT.

Rahman urged federal leaders to recognise Sabahans’ long-standing grievances of unequal development between Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia.

He added that Sabah Umno believed that the country would benefit more if the two states were well funded and developed.

“A higher GDP, lower unemployment rate, more job creation, and better economic opportunities in Sabah and Sarawak will contribute to improved national statistics,” he added.

A referendum was suggested by FTM columnist Johan Ariffin Samad last week.

Two other East Malaysian leaders have also urged Putrajaya to just focus on fulfilling the conditions of the agreement which led to Malaysia’s formation.

Sarawak’s state tourism minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said Putrajaya should honour the agreement by ensuring that both Sabah and Sarawak are developed at an equal pace with the Peninsula.

He said answers to “our requests for better roads, schools, medical facilities, and the economy do not seem to be forthcoming in the way they were expected to be”.

He said “a big question mark” had been raised about why these two states were being neglected.

Warisan deputy president Darell Leiking said Putrajaya should focus on fulfilling the remaining four out of 21 issues identified by a special Cabinet committee on MA63.

These issues are: oil royalty and petroleum cash payments, minerals and oil fields, the Territorial Sea Act, and state rights over the continental shelf.

He also expressed concerns about the integrity of voter rolls in Sabah, which would raise questions about the integrity of the referendum voting process should it take place.

“In Sabah, a lot of ‘dubious citizens’ have become voters. So I would say that to be on the safe side, resolve the 21 issues first. - FMT