Can what has been done be undone?

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THE 19th of October 2016 was a Sunday.

In Kuching, weather-wise, it was bright in the morning but cloudy in the afternoon. Inside a fine hotel, the Sarawak branch of the Historical Society of Malaysia was organising a seminar called A Journey To Merdeka: Sarawak in Malaysia for at least three hundred people drawn from government servants, students and members of certain non-governmental organisations.

In the morning, three papers were presented by intellectuals from three universities in Malaysia.

As usual, the so called Q and A session turned out to be a session for speeches rather than pure questions for the panelists to answer.  The storm cloud started gathering inside the august ballroom of the hotel before the arrival of the Chief Minister.

A paper had been presented by another intellectual from another university. That caused a bit of stir amongst the discerning members of the audience who had spotted some allegedly sensitive statements from the speaker.

Remarks like ‘the Malays have lost Tanah Melayu’, impliedly, as a result of the ‘inclusion’ of Sarawak and Sabah in Malaysia and ‘forget about the Cobbold Commission Report, all in the present constitution’, among other uncalled for statements, had irked some sensitive members of the audience who were subtly discouraged to ask more than one question or to venture a comment.

But it was not until Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem had made a clear stand on the status of Sarawak and of Sabah under Article 1(2) of the constitution and called the amendment made to it in July 1976 a mistake that there was an amazement on many a face that afternoon as if there was something new.

Suddenly everybody paid attention! Even hand phones were down and Whatsapping reluctantly stopped.

Not that this mistake is of a recent discovery; it has been brought to the attention of the participants at various conferences and seminars in the past. Not to mention its reference in various publications, scholarly or otherwise.

I attended a number of meetings about the formation and the challenges of Malaysia. In October 1985, I attended the Conference on National Integration organised by the ISIS (Institute of Strategic International Studies of Malaysia).

In Kota Kinabalu there was a Berandau Kedua Integrasi Nasional from February 22-25, 1987. During the discussions, this mistake was frequently mentioned and heated arguments ensured. I remember Tun Hussein Onn calling Pairin’s argument ‘hot and cold.’

In 1989-1990, I was a member of the National Economic Consultative Council (MAPEN I). This mistake was brought up by members from Sarawak and Sabah from time to time and wherever appropriate during the discussions.

Who took action on our recommendations after that?  The government of the day should have, of course. Had they?

Now 40 years down the road, the interest in restoring the former status of Sarawak or Sabah as First Among Equals has assumed a new dimension. Talks about enacting a Bill in Parliament and about all Members of Parliament from Sabah and Sarawak ganging up in Parliament house. Good luck to the MPs.

Where soft talks in conferences have failed to make an impact on the government(s) of the day, this time around there just may be a difference – with the Chief Minister of Sarawak leading the charge and every politician jumping on the bandwagon now.

For the rest of us, life must go on while the present politicians in Sabah and Sarawak are finding ways and means by which to restore the equal partner status by re-amending Article 1 of the federal constitution, assuming that at least two thirds of the votes of the MPs can be obtained. Otherwise it will be an exercise in futility.

For me, the project to register the stateless Sarawakians as full fledged Malaysians by the National Registration Department is much more urgent. The girls and boys of Sarawak without MyKad cannot go to school because they are aliens in their own country. Ridiculous!

Fortunately, we have the kind of state legislators and  caring ministers in the state cabinet who are willing to work with the NGO to register all of the stateless Sarawakians. We must ensure that no one Sarawakian is left without a Mykad.

While the Members of Parliament, Government and Opposition,  are strategising to return Sarawak to our pre-1976 constitution position – Primus Inter Pares or First Among Equals – in terms of the  Federal Constitution, my personal wish is for them to succeed in such a quest – eventually.

I hope they would double their effort in their quest for devolution of authority and powers for the state and, hopefully, this will also result in the restoration of the local government elections to Sarawak. I am not talking about Sabah – they may have their own advocates in this state matter. I know Penang wants restoration of local government elections.

Meanwhile, we have a lot more other things to do to put things right in Sarawak as well as in Malaysia as a whole. The State Government has assured us that eventually we will get what is due to us – and to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. Time is not at our total disposal. Every major problem seems to pop up from somewhere before we can find a solution to the existing ones.

However, I’m optimistic all will be all right at the end of the day. There are many people out there who constitute the silent majority who will make things happen.Their will shall prevail if they are given the chance to chart the destiny of Sarawak in Malaysia through the freedom of voting eventually. At the moment, there are thousands of them who have no votes though they are of voting age.

Meanwhile, our leaders will get our status back and get the rights restored as soon as possible to avoid a future of uncertainty for us all.

At the back of every one’s mind is that sugarcane. If Tun Jugah once said ‘Anang Malaysia baka tebu-manis aba pun, tabar aba ujong’, read what Lord Cobbold wrote in paragraph 237 of his report: “It is a necessary condition that from the outset, Malaysia should be regarded by all concerned as an association of partners, combining in the common interests to create a new nation but retaining their own individualities.

“If any idea were to take root that Malaysia would involve a ‘take-over’ of the Borneo Territories by the Federation of Malaya and the submersion of the individualities of North Borneo and Sarawak, Malaysia would not, in my judgement, be generally acceptable or successful.”

So let’s have it from the people – is today’s Malaysia ‘acceptable, and successful’ by the definition of one who persuaded us to accept it?

Comments can reach the writer via [email protected].