2018 would be an important year in Malaysia’s history, a year of which Father of All Elections, Najib’s description for the 14th General Election, would be held.
I hope to see a New Deal offered to Sabah and implemented in whole Malaysia, after the GE14. More meaningful devolution of power, and transparent fiscal decentralisation should be the agenda forward.
It’s good to see both political divide in the contest of offering better deal to Sabah, a long marginalised territory in the Federation. Equal partner status have been neglected so long, and our value rediscovered after the current government realised the importance to keep us as fixed deposit, in the event of emergence of two party system in Peninsula.
It’s nothing to do with personal. It’s not Mahathir who marginalised Sabah, nor Najib is the one who is willing to help Sabah. It’s about the centralisation of the power and the dominance of Putrajaya over the states. When UMNO/BN one party rule is so strong and established, no one feels important to develop the peripheral states, all concentrated in the center, Klang Valley.
Isn’t Sarawak BN always cited as the best example to manifest the advantage of local party’s ruling for state? But why didn’t they fight against central government’s hegemony during Mahathir’s 22 years tenure? Why didn’t they voice out oil royalty justice and the rights over sea territory of Sarawak in the past? Obviously, window of opportunity only arrived, when the democracy started to work with contestation between two political camps, BN and PR (subsequently by PH), since 2008. With few states under oppositions ruling, power centralisation in Putrajaya started to loose up.
By realising this, it’s superficial argument that Sabah for Sabahan, or only local party can work for a better future for Sabah. A lot of self betrayal examples in the history, our own fellow Sabahan given away our rights, and didn’t dare to fight against the dominant Putrajaya. In order to bring New Deal to Sabah, one must change is the current over centralised type of Federalism. New Seal for Sabah means a New Dawn for Malaysia.
The only way to restore Sabah’s rights is through both legislature and administrative arena where people can exert their power and exercise their mandate. Contestation between political parties who can offer pragmatic better deal would give a better position for people to choose. Political way is the pragmatic approach to restore Sabah’s rights. Any legal means championed by certain MA63 activists are only offering false hope and hence misleading the people. What for bringing suit to International Court, or sending delegates to London to study documents and claiming that the Queen has obligations over our dilemma here? Rights wouldn’t installed by showing documents alone. The Queen not even can have a say in it’s UK self disintegration, when Scotland have intention to secede.
Our own destiny relies on our own hands. We the people in Malaysia are the one to decide the future of the country. A Federation with over centralised power in the capital but huge imbalance development gap across the country, or a Federation of local democracy with economical dynamism in respective states. The real battle field is here, it’s the parliament and state legislature, which the members would be voted in through election. And those elected representatives can make a difference through legislation and administration.
Pakatan Harapan, the only viable national alternative to the current ruling party, has been offering New Deal to Sabah consistently in two phases of pre launching of it’s manifesto. As the PH Sabah Strategy and Manifesto Director, I would like to remind that, some of the points we offer wouldn’t be materialised if PH do not win two third majority, such as taking away Health and Education, from Federal List to State List. It involves federal constitutional amendment, thus number of seats matter.
To recap what PH Sabah offers to people of Sabah, it includes one third of Federal Developmental Expenditure for Sabah and Sarawak, about 15 billions, 20% oil royalty, 50% revenue sharing between Sabah and Federal, devolution of power includes the following subject matters namely Health, Education, Transport and Communication, Trade and Commerce, Electricity, Social Welfare and Tourism. For rural development, we know land matters most for Natives. Besides, better infrastructure to link up the rural with urban, opportunities created for jobs and self employment when the agro harvests easier to market out, are part of our agenda as well.
PH Sabah is strongly committed to Good Governance. We believe in check and balance, power sharing, accountability, competence and transparency in ruling a government. Sabahan are fed up with numerous scandals which come to the eyes of the public in last two years, Watergate saga and alleged embezzlement of allocation in a particular federal ministry. We are also fed up with the incompetence shown by the current administration, even SESB, the sole power provider in the state is said on the verge of insolvency. We don’t want Sabah autonomy being ransomed by Warlords, only enriching the political elites but the bottom gain nothing.
It’s my hope for this new year. Let us embrace New Year with New Hope and encompassed by New Deal!
Happy New Year 2018. The year of “Tatap Ubah”!