Abang Johari at the Sarawak Day 2017 celebration at the Kuching Waterfront. Photo by Muhammad Rais Sanusi
KUCHING: Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg believes Sarawak can overcome any issue in its negotiation on the devolution of power from Putrajaya.
He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had been open to discussion with Sarawak in the state’s efforts to regain its eroded powers within the context of the Federal Constitution and Malaysia Agreement 1963.
“We believe that there’s no problem that we cannot overcome and I must thank the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib and the Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid for being always open to discussion with Sarawak in our efforts to bring back our powers according to the Federal Constitution, the Malaysia Agreement, the Malaysia Act, the Inter-Governmental Committee Reports and Recommendations and the Cobbold Commission Reports that have been eroded over the years,” he said here today.
Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud and wife Toh Puan Datuk Patinggi Raghad Kurdi Taib graced the Sarawak Day do.
Abang Johari said Sarawak must first do its homework to make sure the state was not “firing blanks” in its negotiation with Putrajaya.
“This is why we sent our team of lawyers to London to study a large volume of documents in the British archives and other sources which were only recently declassified in order to be able to determine what the underlying spirit of the Malaysia Agreement was.
“Therefore, very much contrary to some suggestions that we are inviting foreign intervention, the terms of reference of the London team has never been to get foreigners to intervene in our domestic affairs,” he said.
He pointed out that there was no need for Sarawak to exit Malaysia.
However, he said being in Malaysia did not mean that Sarawak could not negotiate with the federal government to get back the state’s rights.
“We want to get back our rights and what belongs to us. We only want what belongs to us. It is as simple as that.
“I sincerely hope that our fellow Sarawakians will continue to give me the support to discuss with the federal government to find amicable solutions to the central issue of the devolution of power back to Sarawak,” he added.
He recalled that his predecessor, the late Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem had said, “We were Malaysia yesterday. We are Malaysia Now. We are Malaysia tomorrow and we are Malaysia forever.”
Sarawakians first celebrated Sarawak Day last year after Adenan declared July 22 as a public holiday early last year.