Sabah, Sarawak NGOs reject suggestion to give 1/3 of Dewan Negara seats to Borneo, it should be Dewan Rakyat seats they say

A Joint Statement by Sabah, Sarawak NGOs

WE note the strong push by NGOs such as ROSE, BERSIH, ENGAGE and Tindak Malaysia to push for the Borneo states to be given more than one-third of Senatorial seats.

After strong pushback from Sabah and Sarawak, they have now issued a statement dated 21 September giving a set of reasons. 

This was published in: https://www.sarawakrose.org/?p=117We reject the reasons given in the statement because they do not address the fundamental issue. 

The fundamental issues are the following: 

1. We are requesting a historical correction to the mistake made in 1965. When the federation of Malaysia was established in 1963, North Borneo (Sabah), Sarawak, and Singapore received more than 34% of the seats in the Dewan Rakyat. This was an important "safeguard" requested by North Borneo (Sabah), Sarawak, and Singapore. When Singapore left the federation in 1965, Malayan officials should have followed the original ratio and redistributed the Singapore seats to Sabah and Sarawak. As a result, we are requesting a correction for a historical error. This correction is similar to the constitutional amendment made in 2021 when the original wordings was put back in Article 1 (2) of the Federal Constitution. It was to “right” a historical “wrong” in 1976. 

2. All agree that Dewan Negara lacks political legitimacy. Their members are appointed by the Agong and DUN rather than being directly chosen by the rakyat. You cannot expect a non-elected chamber to have the authority to speak out for Sabah and Sarawak with legitimacy. If the Dewan Negara was powerful, Singapore, North Borneo and Sarawak leaders would have requested a third of the Dewan Negara seats back in 1963. The fact that they wanted one-third of the seats in Dewan Rakyat indicates that they knew where power lay.

In summary, using today’s lens and half-truths to push for the 1/3 criteria to be met by Dewan Negara is disingenuous and an insult to Sabahans and Sarawakians. 

The Malayan NGOs may want to reform the electoral system in Malaya but they should do so without harming the interests of Sabah and Sarawak. 

Their push for more equalization of the vote in Malaya should not include Sabah and Sarawak  as it is a political  problem in Malaya between the Malays and non-Malays. 

It has  nothing to do with Sabah and Sarawak. We urge all Sarawakians and Sabahans to unite on this issue and reject the suggestions by ROSE, BERSIH, ENGAGE and Tindak Malaysia. They do not have the best interest of Sabah and Sarawak. 

Statement endorsed by : 

1. Sarawak Association For Peoples' Aspiration (SAPA)

2. Dayak International Organisation (DIO)

3. MOPOT - Moningolig Pogun Tokou (Defenders of Ancestral LandsSabah)

4. Gindol Initiative for Civil Society Borneo

5. Pertubuhan Kebajikan Rumpun Dayak Sabah (PKRDS)

6. Gabungan orang Asal Sarawak (GOASS)

7. Persatuan Etnik Dayak Asal Sarawak (PEDAS )

8. Sarawak Institute of International Affairs (SIPA)

9. Sabah Action Body Advocating Rights (SABAR)

10. Sabah Entitlement & Equity Now (SEEN)

11. Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA)#