KOTA KINABALU: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has accepted in good faith the recent criticism made by Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) president Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Mojilip Bumburing against Malaysia’s opposition chief Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on several issues which relate to Sabah.
PKR Sabah information chief Terrence Siambun said there were three issues forwarded by Bumburing which he believes PKR will have to come out with explanation to the Sabahans if the party aspires to be a Federal Government-material, namely the existence of illegal immigrants in Sabah, autonomy and Malaysia Agreement 1963.
As a pragmatist who believes that Sabah’s development and progress lie in a mutual progress, security and equal distribution of wealth within a federation as aspired by our founding forefathers, I opine that the criticism is of importance since it dwelt on issues which essentially highlight the currently fragile Federal-Sabah’s relationship,” said Terrence.
While PKR strives to be a political party that subscribes to the idea of “Government of the People, by the People, for the People”, he pointed out that it cannot be ruled out that we are bound to follow any convention or basic principles accepted by world’s standards whether we ratify such convention or not.
“In the case of the existence of illegal immigrants in Sabah, Anwar being an international leader, could not possibly give a emotional statement relating to the existence of illegal immigrants in Sabah, for the sake of becoming a populist leader; while this illegal immigrants issue is both a national and international issue, how can we simply act unilaterally by detaining and deporting any foreigners we see on the street without making any prior arrangement with their country of origins?
“Thus it is only proper for Anwar to give a statement intending to remind us the need to observe any convention or international law relating to the issue relating to illegal immigrants in our quest to find the permanent solution on this issue,” he said in a statement yesterday.
For the record, Terrence said that Anwar had never swayed from his stand that the unlawful and unconstitutional granting of citizenship to foreigners in Sabah was being engineered and headed by someone (who had full access and powers to any national agency or department in the country) with reasons known only to that perpetrator.
“In fact, during his testimony in the RCI hearing on the Illegal Immigrants in Sabah, he specifically mentioned it that the National Security Council had created a special task force that granted identity cards indiscriminately to the illegal immigrants in Sabah during the 90s which astoundingly, is still operational until now.
“This is where our concentration over the issue relating to illegal immigrants in Sabah should lie on (which is evident from the many cases of foreigners having fake MyKads in the State being brought to the court) and not on Anwar who is not part of the current government of the day,” he said.
On the case of politically autonomous Sarawak, Terrence said Anwar was referring to our tendency to give credit to Sarawak as a politically autonomous State for not having Umno but at the same time, became one of the poorest states in Malaysia.
“It is to my opinion that we can have all the autonomy that we want to but if our State leaders and the whole State administration are corrupted, what good does it make to us?
“Our happiness will be short-lived and we will once again hope for a saviour to save us like what we did in 1976,” he said.
According to Terrence, Sarawakians are politically autonomous but thousands of Sarawakians are venting their anger in the Facebook against corrupted State leaders who have plundered their and sold their forests or lands.
This is evident when in the previous 13th general election, PR Sarawak garnered 304,509 (or 36.83%) votes while BN garnered 481,038 (or 58.1%) votes while others, 31,681 (or 3.83%). As for the breakdowns, DAP managed to obtain 187,256 votes while PKR 105,117 votes. And yet, we still believe that being politically autonomous is the panacea to all the diseases in the State due to the incapability of BN Sabah. If the Sarawakians are very happy for being a politically-autonomous State, PR Sarawak would have been annihilated during that election, he said.
Being a national leader who detests corruption at all level, Terrence said Anwar is making it a point that while politically autonomous Sabah is something we need to work on, we also need to ensure that the State is free from any corruption at any level and in all districts.
Besides, autonomy for Sabah/Sarawak is part of Pakatan Rakyat’s agenda as was confirmed in the Buku Jingga which Bumburing had read and praised previously, he added.
“Poverty in Sabah is an issue that interpolates with so many factors but it is mainly due to the sluggish economy in the State because our State leaders have long lost their passion and energy to modernize Sabah for having stayed too long in power.
“It has now became a day to day work for BN Sabah leaders, especially the younger ones who would not be bothered at all to ‘rock the boat’ with new innovations or ideas for fear that their ‘higher’ leaders will axe them!” he said.
In the case of Malaysia Agreement 1963, he said Anwar had always maintained that he welcomes and will support any call for it to be reviewed. Such assurances is not of empty promises because such review encompasses part of the safeguards contained in the IGC in whereby it should be done every 10 years from the date of formation of Malaysia.
“Bumburing saying that Anwar is inconsistent with the review is unfounded because if Darell Leiking’s first unsuccessful attempt to table the motion on review of the Malaysian Agreement 1963 never received any support from Anwar, surely Darell will not attempt to do it again this year, will he?
“Similarly, Anwar had reiterated it in his speech and statement to the press his commitment to review the Malaysia Agreement 1963 in response to what have been deliberated during a forum on 31 January 2015 in whereby Datuk Maijol Mahap had earlier on presented his paper on Sabah’s autonomy.
“Further, such review will not solely be dependent upon Anwar alone but on 222 members of parliament who will be debating on it,” he said.
At end of the day, he said it will not be Anwar who will determine the future of Sabah. It will be the leaders and people of Sabah themselves.
Terrence said Anwar is merely a person who can facilitate Sabah’s aspiration within a federation known as Malaysia through a national political party known as PKR and in regaining back what our founding forefathers wanted it to be.