Separation as Last Resort Cannot be Ruled Out –Dr.Jeffrey

Kota Kinabalu:“While separation from Malaysia may not be an immediate option, it (separation) should not be ruled out as a last resort option or forced option” said Datuk Dr.Jeffrey Kitingan, Chairman of STAR SABAH responding to views that separation of Sabah and Sarawak was not an option and treasonous to even discuss it.

We need to differentiate the differences in instances of separation and contentions of some instances being treasonous. For the Islamist and Malay extremists, calls for the chasing out of people from the federation is separatist and seditious as well as treasonous.


Calling for the separation of Sabah and Sarawak due to the non-fulfilment, non-compliance of the Malaysia Agreement, the 20/18 Points and other constitutional documents is nothing more than a consequence of the failure of the non-fulfilment and non-compliance.

Similarly, there is nothing treasonous in the separation of Singapore in 1965.  It was a separation of ways due to differences after the formation of Malaysia.

The fundamental issue at hand and which goes to the very root of the basis of the formation of Malaysia is that the basis of the federation has failed and broken down.  From a federation of 3 equal partners equal to Malaya (now 3 after the departure of Singapore), Sabah and Sarawak has been down-graded to be the 12thand 13thStates.  For the TYT Yang DiPertua Negara of Sabah and Sarawak, equal to the Head of State of Brunei, United Kingdom or the USA, their Excellencys have been down-graded to Yang DiPertuaNegeri.

Tun Fuad Stephens had made it known that Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei (then) would not be joining as the 12th, 13th and 14th States and be colonies of Malaya.   Tunku Abdul Rahman has assured in 1962 that the Borneo Territories would be equal partners to Malaya.  In the IGC Report and the Memorandum of Malaysia by the Malaysia Solidarity Consultative Committee, the definition of the Federation of Malaysia was as follows:-

“An association of several Sovereign States with a central organ vested with  powers directly over the citizens  of the member State and in certain defined circumstances over the member States themselves. There would be a Central Government  and also  State Governments, but from  the view point of international law,  the collection of States forming the Federation would be recognized as one Sovereign State within a family of nations.”

Malaysia was to be a new nation comprising of the four sovereign nations, Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak.

Even the history and facts of the formation of Malaysia are manipulated and distorted.   Malaysia Day on 16 September, the very day of the formation of Malaysia was never commemorated until in recent years.   Malaysia was born in 1963 and was never in existence before then and was never colonized.   It was a new country.   Does our national celebrations and talks of independence of Malaysia in 1957reflect the truth?   Is the history of Malaysia taught to our young and our school-children the truth?

It was only in 2013, on its 50th anniversary, did Sarawak recognize its Independence Day on 22 July.   Why was it prevented from doing so before 2013?   In Sabah, Independence Day on 31 August was commemorated as the birthday of His Excellency, the Governor.   In 2013, the federal police and the Special Branch in Sabah prevented the people from carrying out a walk to commemorate its independence on 31 August.  Why must the federal government do this?

Worst still, the federal Government of Malaya has been masquerading as the federal government of Malaysia and the federation has slowly but surely being turned into a unitary state.  In Sabah, it is not only being internally colonized, the federal government has put in a parallel government with the Federal Secretary Office.   Powers of the Borneo States have also been usurped through the years through amendments in the Federal Constitution.

In Sabah, foreigners including from India and Pakistan were given dubious ICs and MyKads, many said to be falsely born again in Sabah, and entered into the electoral rolls as voters for hire to vote for Umno/BN.   This is reverse ethnic cleansing and robbing the local natives of their political franchise to choose their government and leaders which has now been sub-franchised by the Umno federal government to these illegals with ICs and MyKads.

Riches and wealth from both States have been siphoned off to fund the lop-sided development in Malaya while the people in Sabah and Sarawak do not even get to enjoy decent clean-treated water.   Other basic amenities and basis infrastructures are not existent in many places.

In 2009 when taking over the reins of power, PM Najib promised that no villages would be more than 5km. from a sealed road.  Six years later, it is not only a broken promise but totally forgotten and thrown down the drain.

The BN leaders may not realize it or choose to ignore it but the people of Sabah and Sarawak no longer accept that Petronas be vested with their oil and gas resources and giving back only 5% of the revenue when it is exploited.   The Borneo States were even made to waive all claims to impose royalties on the oil and gas extracted.   This is worse than Indonesia and Russia where the oil-producing provinces and republics get not less than 70% of the oil revenue.

In Norway, each Norwegian, even unborn, is already a millionaire due to the oil wealth from its North Sea oil-wells.  In Sabah, Sabahans suffer the ignominy of being the poorest in the nation despite contributing RM18 billion in 2012 and will be contributing another RM26.6 billion in 2014.

In this modern world of technological advancement and real-time social media, the truth can no longer be hidden from the people.   The days of government imposing its will on the people are dead and gone.   All over the world, dictators and dictatorial governments and regimes are being toppled and replaced by the voices of the people.

What are being posted, discussed and shared in the social media and over the internet on the basis of the formation of Malaysia and its failures and non-compliances are nothing more than intellectual discussions of facts and reality.  They represent the genuine concerns and feelings of the people on the ground and this is not confined to the internet but in the coffee-shops, in the streets and even in the corridors of government departments and agencies.

It is disappointing to see the Deputy Home Minister, who is a Sarawakian, to play the race and religion card in threatening the bloggers and participants of the social media.  

“How is a discussion on the formation of Malaysia and its consequences be seditious and lead to friction between races and religions? askedDr. Jeffrey.

In fact, history of Sarawak and Brunei will show that its “pejuang-pejuang” and the people came together as one regardless of race and religion with common intent and purpose in the face of adversity and defended Sarawak and Brunei respectively.   The real traitors are those who sell out the interests and sovereignty of Sarawak and Sarawak not the people who are defending the interests and sovereignty as what the people are now trying to do what the political leaders have failed to do.

Malaysia was formed between the people of Malaya and the people of Sabah and Sarawak.  There was a basis for such a merger of federation.   Naturally, in the discussions of the basis of the formation, the option of a de-merger or separation is and should be an available option on the table for discussion.   Whether it is the best option, the right option or will fail, it is a separate issue altogether?  There is nothing sinister or treasonous about discussing it unless one has caused or participated in the ill-treatment of Sabah and Sarawak in the federation of Malaysia and fears for the consequences of their actions.

The people especially in Sabah and Sarawak should not be prevented from their discussions.  After all, it is their future and the future of Sabah and Sarawak which concerns them.