Sabah, Sarawak not 12th and 13th states

Jeffrey Kitingan says constitutional documents say Sabah and Sarawak are equal partners with the peninsula, not 12th and 13th states.

KOTA KINABALU: Kota Belud MP Abdul Rahman Dahlan has come under fire for claiming during a public forum over the weekend, “Sabah In or Out of Malaysia”, that Sabah and Sarawak joined the peninsula in a Federation as the 12th and 13th states.

“If the intention of our founding fathers was for Sabah and Sarawak to become the 12th and 13th states, there would have been no need to draw up all the constitutional documents relating to 1963,” said Bingkor Assemblyman Jeffrey Kitingan in taking issue with Rahman Dahlan’s claims during the public forum in Kota Kinabalu.

“He’s making such claims to please his political masters in Putrajaya. This not how a Sabahan should behave unless he wants to migrate to Malaya.”

Jeffrey, who is also Star Sabah Chief, was referring to the Cobbold Commission Report, the Inter Governmental Committee Report, 20/18 Points, Batu Sumpah and Malaysia Agreement 1963, among other constitutional documents.

Jeffrey stressed that Sabah and Sarawak could only be considered the 12th and 13th states if they, like the states in the peninsula, became signatories to the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1948 whether or not the Malayan Federation renamed itself the Malaysian Federation.

The Star Sabah Chief maintained that Sabah and Sarawak are in Federation with the Federation of Malaya as equal partners.

He did not say whether there should be greater clarity, in that case, and the 1963 Federation should be known as the Federation of Sabah, Sarawak and Malaysia to illustrate the equal partnership concept.

Jeffrey’s consistent theme during the last quarter century has been that Putrajaya is in non-compliance on the Malaysia Agreement if it regards Sabah and Sarawak as the 12th and 13th states and not equal partners in Federation with Malaya.