Abdul Karim (third left) in a group photo with See (fourth left), national PKR Women vice president Voon Shiak Ni (left), state PKR Women chief Nurhanim Hanna Mokhsen (second left) and other guests.
KUCHING: SUPP president Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian’s call for Sarawak to be referred as a region in Malaysia and not as a state will do more harm than good to the evolution of a meaningful Sarawakian nationalism.
State PKR vice chairman See Chee How opined that in a worst case scenario, it might hamper all efforts to negotiate and demand for the devolution of federal power and return of autonomous power to Sarawak.
“In the Federation of Malaysia, we practise constitutional federalism. The Federal Constitution is supreme, and it provides that the Federation comprises 13 States and the Federal Territories,” he said in a press statement yesterday.
“Sarawak was referred to as a ‘State’ not after the formation of Malaysia. It was referred to as such in the Malaysia Agreement, concluded and signed on July 9, 1963.”
See, who is also Batu Lintang assemblyman, was commenting on Dr Sim’s statement on Saturday urging Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem to refer to Sarawak as a region in Malaysia and not as a state when negotiating with the federal government over the devolution of power and autonomy.
See explained that in Article 1 of the Malaysia Agreement, it provides that the States of Sarawak, Sabah and the State of Singapore (irrelevant now) shall be federated with the existing States of the Federation of Malaya and the Federation shall thereafter be called ‘Malaysia’.
Abdul Karim (seated second left), Manyin (seated left), and Fu (standing) laughing at one of Chong’s (seated second right) jokes during the Hari Raya open house.
However, he noted that it was also made clear in the Malaysia Agreement that the states of Sarawak and Sabah do not relinquish all their sovereignty and jurisdiction in respect of matters in the states.
See said all these were clearly spelt out in the Federal Constitution, and the entry of Sarawak and Sabah were conditional upon the legislative, executive or other actions to safeguard, uphold and protect the assurances, undertakings and recommendations of the Cobbold Commission and Inter-Governmental Committee Reports.
“It is shocking to know that the state minister (Dr Sim) does not have this basic knowledge about the history on the formation of Malaysia and how the word ‘State’ is being used and provided under Federal Constitution.”
See argued there was no basis to refer to Sarawak as a region and not a state within the Federation.
“The suggestion by the Local Government Minister is politically sexy and is certain to provoke excitement, but it is perilous at worst.
“It is diverting efforts for the devolution of federal power and returning autonomous power to Sarawak towards unnecessary arguments of forms at best.”
See said not only is the ‘State’ an expression of the Federal Constitution, but in the “constructions and formulation of the provisions in the Malaysia Agreement, Sarawak and Sabah being expressed and termed as ‘states’ does not in any way derogated Sarawak and Sabah.”
He acknowledged that the state’s autonomy and special privileges and rights had eroded over the years, after the formation of the federation of Malaysia.
See observed that in the last two years, the people had witnessed the evolution of a nourishing and meaningful Sarawakian nationalism.
“Sarawakians of all diversity, even with political differences, are united in the efforts to demand for devolution of federal power and the return of the deserved autonomous power to the state, within the ambits of the Federal Constitution.
“Datuk Dr Sim, as a Senator, or through an MP of his party, can move a Motion or Bill in Parliament to amend the Federal Constitution to refer to Sarawak as a ‘Region’ and not a ‘State’ if he is sincere and serious with his suggestion.”
“But the least we need now is unnecessary provocation that may elicit retaliation that will hurt the evolution of a nourishing and meaningful Sarawakian nationalism and hamper all efforts in the negotiations and demands for the devolution of federal power and returning of our deserved autonomous power to Sarawak.”
Meanwhile, Assistant Minister of Housing Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah has described Dr Sim’s suggestion as ‘very subjective.’
Abdul Karim believed it was still proper to call Sarawak a state because it was a part of Malaysia.
“Sarawak can still be considered a state, but it is a state within a union … within a confederation. So, whether we should call ourselves just Sarawak or a state, to me that is minor,” he told reporters when met at his Hari Raya open house at his residence here yesterday.
“What is more important here is when we signed the (Malaysia) Agreement, there were certain rights that we agreed upon, and these are the rights that have diminished for the last 53 years. We are trying to get them back.”
Stating that the matter was quite sensitive, he opined it was now more important to focus on the rights of the state as Sarawak was one of the signatories to the Malaysia Agreement 1963.
“Unlike the federated and unfederated Malay states that are Peninsular Malaysia, they came in as signatory to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 as one entity. We (Sarawak) came in as another entity, Sabah came in as another, and Singapore, too.
“The way I see it, strictly from a legal aspect, it should be called a federation of states.”
With Adenan’s persistence in the fight for Sarawak’s autonomy, Abdul Karim hoped the state’s rights would be returned, eventually.
“Hopefully, with Datuk Patinggi Adenan’s high spirit in wanting to ensure that these rights are returned, we will be able to get it back, probably by the end of this year or next year.”
During the Hari Raya open house, Abdul Karim and his wife, Datin Zuraini Abdul Jabbar, entertained hundreds of guests, including Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg and his wife, Datin Amar Juma’ani Tuanku Bujang, Youth and Sports and Solidarity Minister Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong and political secretary to the Chief Minister, Fu Kut Poh.
Other notable guests were state DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen and state PKR vice chairman See Chee How.