Datuk Idris Buang
KUCHING: Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem’s decision not to table a motion at the coming State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting to reclaim the state’s rights from the federal government was not ‘backpedalling’ on his pledge to pursue the issue.
PBB supreme council member Dato Idris Buang said BN elected representatives had, by consensus, agreed with the chief minister not to table that motion.
“It is considered redundant and superfluous in view of efforts currently being stepped up by the administration.
“Prolonged and protracted debates on this matter, especially by those who carry the agenda of even ‘taking Sarawak out of the Federation’, will take away precious time. It will be of no use to the state and the rakyat at large, especially when oral altercations, words with seditious and confrontational tendencies will leave so many bad tastes in our mouth,” Idris told The Borneo Post yesterday.
He described the intention of the opposition to table the motion as merely a political ploy to ‘steal the thunder’ from Adenan’s pursuit for devolution of powers and restoring all the state’s rights in accordance with the Malaysian Agreement 1963 (MA1963), the Malaysia
Act, Report of the Cobbold Commission and the Recommendations of the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC), collectively referred to as the Malaysia Documents.
“They seemed to be embarking upon yet another political acrobatic stunt to hoodwink the rakyat with the perception that it was they, not the BN government, who are fighting for the rights of Sarawakians,” said Idris.
“Far from backpedalling, Tok Nan’s efforts have shown remarkable success, as there is now a clear acknowledgement and serious assurance by the prime minister that his leadership will ensure that any rights belonging to Sarawak and Sabah that might have been ‘eroded’ or ‘taken away’ must be restored in accordance with the Malaysia Documents.”
On-going efforts between the state government and federal government officials are being carried out through cordial diplomacy and not through rhetorical outbursts and confrontational attitude, he added.
Idris reiterated that since Sarawakians had elected the BN in the last state election, the people should now put their trust in the chief minister to carry on with the negotiations with the federal government.
“The process of devolution of powers for Sarawak and Sabah is ongoing and on a serious note. In fact, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said had rightly pointed out in today’s (yesterday’s) news that the process was being undertaken through a Joint Committee to Review Administrative Empowerment to Sarawak and Sabah as well as a Steering and Technical Committee.”
Hence, Idris said, if the motion is allowed to take place in the DUN, there will be no end to it.
“The BN will not succumb to the dance of the opposition, as their struggles seem to be clouded with a cluster of politics that include ‘Sarawak for Sarawakians (S4S) Movement’. Recently, there was even a movement called Sarawak Autonomy 2021, which wanted to see Sarawak secede from Malaysia.” Idris pointed out that Sarawak and Sabah were on the same page in seeking greater autonomy through negotiations.
“In fact, the chief minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman, was here recently to hold discussions on this issue with Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem. However, we do not want to equate our request for greater autonomy as similar to Sabah’s as it has its own peculiarities, and we have our own.”