Yesterday, on 26th June 2016, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Nancy Shukri said the technical committee for addressing the compliance/non-compliance of the special interest of Sarawak and Sabah based on the recommendations of the Cobbold Commission, IGC Report and the Malaysia Agreement 1963 would comprise representatives nominated by the Sarawak and Sabah state governments together with the federal government’s representatives and historians from the two states.
It would be in our interest to give more flexibility in nominating the official/unofficial members for the technical committee to shoulders this important tasks to ensure that all aspect of Sarawak and Sabah special interest will be covered by each members of the technical committee. Flexibility to add more members or as many members as possible is one of the prerogative that was being employed by Sarawak in addressing the Inter-Governmental Committee way back in 1963. Therefore, it is advisable for the current Technical Committee, the composition of the official/unofficial members should be made as being as flexible as possible and be it varied from time to time as may seem desirable. A necessary flexibility also can be made by appointing an additional member as per required. All of such members will, of course, give all the advice and help which it is within their power to do, and will give the benefit of their experience in matters of the sort which will be discussed. By doing so, the weights of the tasks at hand can be share and the IMPLEMENTATION of the agreed terms can be accelerate on a fast-line track for the betterment of the people.
In 1962, Council Negri of Sarawak (Dewan Undangan Negeri Sarawak) made a welcomes decision in principles for the establishment of the Federation of Malaysia SUBJECT to the special interests of Sarawak will be safeguarded.
All expert from our side must be invited especially who has a detailed understanding of the constitution arrangement for the formation of the Federation of Malaysia. The people of Sarawak must take a pro-active approach by giving their opinions, criticisms and monitoring the progress of such momentous moment for the betterment of Sarawak as a partner of the Federation of Malaysia. It must be re-emphasised here, the need for a spirit of goodwill and co-operation amongst members of the Technical Committee so that the interests of the people will be put paramount and safeguarded.
It is the Technical Committee and its sub-committee that will have the task of safeguarding Sarawak's interest, and it is important, therefore, that the members of this Committee and of the sub-committees should be persons who can and will strive for the necessary IMPLEMENTATION of the safeguards and rights, but who will also be ready to approach the problems, not from the purely parochial interests of Sarawak, but from the broad long-term interest of the people of all the States concerned.
More frequent meetings of the legislative assembly must be made in order that it could hear reports of the progress made by Sarawak's representatives on the Technical Committee and sub-committees.
Here, we all must must get our expectation rights. The expectation from the technical committee is not to work out a mere constitutional arrangements as it has been done and agreed in 1963. Instead of figuring out the dispute and non-compliance of the agreed term, the committee must seek the IMPLEMENTATION of the agreed terms as being spelled out in the IGC Report, Malaysia Agreement 1963 and Malaysia Constitution. Do not give compromise for Sarawak rights as we already given for a ride for the odds 53 years!
By the way, it was not wrong to include the right to seccession in the current framework of the Federation of Malaysia as being proposed by several members of Council Negri in 1962 to ensure a full commitment for the IMPLEMENTATION and COMPLIANCE of the agreed terms.
For Malaya, it will be vital for us all to remember that conflicting views and interests will have to be reconciled if a genuine partnership is to be form and continue.
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