“The persistence of the Sabah Rights fighters and activists in leading the claims for the restoration of Sabah Rights as well as those of neighbouring Sarawak are slowly but surely bearing fruits. The testimonials are plain to see with the raging and often heated controversies and debates on Sabah/Sarawak Rights and MA63” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, President of Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku, in a statement released today.
Their persistence and tenacity to spread the word on Sabah Rights despite great odds and obstacles put in by the ruling BN governments have strike the right chords with the masses and leaders of political parties across the political divide.
It is interesting that some of these Umno BN leaders and ex-leaders, some of whom, had denied the existence of Sabah Rights are now claiming to be champions of Sabah Rights. They include a former PM who used to put people in jail for raising Sabah Rights and then accuse them of being secessionists.
There are also political parties who even promise to give back 50% of Sabah’s revenues if elected into office and which 50% is not even provided in the Federal Constitution.
Whether they are really sincere or not, only time will tell.
While the Sarawak Legislative Assembly has tabled and passed unanimously in 2015, the Motion to empower the Sarawak Government to seek the restoration of their Rights in Malaysia, the Sabah Assembly rejected the Motions on Sabah Rights and MA63 although debates on Sabah Rights and MA63 were allowed at the just concluded sitting.
Regardless, the movement for Sabah Rights are now difficult to stop as more and more Sabahans are waking up to the realities of Sabah being treated as a colony, her rich resources of oil and gas taken, and her revenue rights denied and misappropriated for the development of Malaya. At the same time, Sabah had descended from being the 2nd richest if not the richest State in the 1970s to be the poorest now.
SABAH rights will eventually yield positive results and Sabah and Sabahans will benefit from the return of these rights as well as the oil and gas resources and the 40% net revenue entitlement and other additional revenues assigned to Sabah.
At the same time, the federal government must be appreciated for opening up and allowing the talks on Sabah Rights and MA63, which has never happened before this.
Whether the Federal government is sincere to return Sabah Rights together with its revenues and oil and gas resources will be judged in the near future.
From here, the Rakyat will know who is genuine and who is not.
The current Federal government and PM Najib will have the first advantage to show whether it means what it says and walk the talk or their promises and assurances are mere empty rhetoric because PRU-14 is just around the corner.
It is NOW OR NEVER for Najib.
“If I WERE Najib, I would re-activate the IGC and get things moving and implement all the Rights and privileges promised, agreed and reserved for Sabah and Sarawak at the formation of Malaysia” asserted Dr. Jeffrey.
Jeffrey who is also the assemblyman for Bingkor, added that “the acceptance of the struggle for Sabah and Sarawak Rights as contained in MA63, the 20-Points, IGC Report, Batu Sumpah and other constitutional documents has vindicated me at last.”
“All I want to see now are results and the FRUITS of this struggle for the Borneo States.”
Sabahans and Sarawakians must not only look forward but actively pursue the solutions on Malaysia, which is, to retain the STATUS QUO and remain as the 12th and 13th States of Malaya @ Malaysia, to RESOLVE and re-form a new, stronger and more united Federation of Malaysia, or DISSOLVE the Federation and each to go their separate ways and chart their own future and destiny in the world.
