Don’t overstep boundary of freedom

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Home Ministry aware idea of cessation has been floated around by certain individual

KUCHING: The Home Affairs Ministry is monitoring and keeping an eye on a few individuals in Sarawak suspected of being ‘separatists’ but no arrest will be made unless these individuals are found to be breaking laws.

This was revealed by Deputy Home Affairs Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, who said his ministry was fully aware that certain individuals were propagating the idea of cessation of Sarawak and Sabah from the Federation of Malaysia.

“We know who they are and even their names. We are monitoring and watching them. We are monitoring to see how serious the whole thing is,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday.

Revealing only that these individuals were residing all over Sarawak, Wan Junaidi believed that the cessation movement involved only a few persons, mostly disgruntled politicians making loud noises who not many right-thinking Sarawakians would believe.

The Santubong MP said he understood the sentiments and rational of these ‘separatists’ and would try ‘not to see just the negative side of it but the positive side’.

“Look at the basic needs in rural areas of Sarawak and Sabah – the roads, the schools, electricity and water supplies. The rural people are still lacking these basic facilities and amenities. It is natural that Sarawakians and Sabahans are not happy,” he added.

Instead of taking drastic action such as arresting these ‘separatists’ advocating the independence of Sarawak and Sabah from Malaysia, he said he would try to meet to listen and talk to them.

“As long as they don’t break the law, we are not going to arrest them. The government is even willing to bend backward to give them time and space to come round,” he added.

On his part as an MP, he said he would try his best to address the issue of the backwardness of rural areas of the two Borneo states and bring it up to the attention of the federal government.

His advice to this group is not to break the law or ‘overstep the boundary of the freedom of speech’.

As for Sabah, he said the situation was under control as it merely involved disgruntled politicians who had been using the social media as their platform to express their views to influence others.

He said among these disgruntled Sabahan politicians advocating the independence of the two Borneo states was United Borneo Front president Datuk Sri Jeffrey Kitingan, who according to him had been having problems working with other politicians.

“He (Jeffrey) can’t work with other politicians because he wants to be the boss and has the last say. So he is trying to influence others. But how many people with logical mind will be influenced by him?

“The government is not going to go harsh on them. But don’t break the law,” stressed Wan Junaidi.