Harris unhappy ‘old issues’ being dredged up

The former Sabah Chief Minister feels that many of these “old issues” point in his direction.

KOTA KINABALU: Former Sabah Chief Minister Harris Salleh has expressed unhappiness that the people including politicians are dredging up “old issues”, from even more than 30 years ago, when they had every opportunity to do so in the past. “It’s not the done thing now to disagree with decisions which were made by the Sabah Assembly and Parliament.”

Harris, who was Chief Minister from 1976 to 1985, feels increasingly under siege in his twilight hours as he sees many of these “old issues” being dredged up and pointing in his direction.

The Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) Government, which had two-thirds majority in the Sabah Assembly from 1985 to 1994, could have reverted to the ‘no religion’ status of the state as before 1973, under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and as in Sarawak until today,” said Harris. “They failed to do so. It was as simple as makan kacang goreng (eating peanuts).”

“Don’t talk now of blunders being made in the past, and of rights being taken away, when everybody was in the same coalition and government.”

The so-called immigration “loopholes” in Menumbok on the Sabah mainland, 20 minutes by speedboat from Labuan, and Labuan itself as a gateway to Kota Kinabalu, pointed out Harris, are two other examples hogging the limelight in the social media.

He was commenting on PBS, among other parties, taking issue with the federalization of Labuan as a “serious mistake” and on the “no religion” status in Batu Sumpah and MA63. The party went on to claim that Labuan emerging as a Federal Territory in 1984, an issue which saw Harris being ousted from power, has allowed outsiders to enter Sabah from Labuan unchecked through Menumbok and the Jesselton Ferry Point in Kota Kinabalu.

If true, said Harris, these issues could be “corrected” by returning to the Sabah Assembly and Parliament and not by screaming in the social media and running wild”.

“The process of ‘correction’, if needed, must be by way of legal and parliamentary means,” reiterated Harris who added that he has no issue with the approach if taken. “Those harping on rights issues must understand and accept that there are legal and democratic means to undo what has been done in the past. It’s not the end of the world.”

The PBS Government, reiterated Harris, could have taken steps to undo any “wrongs” done in the past but did not do so. Harris did not concede that the Sabah and Federal Governments were at loggerheads during most of this period. “PBS was in the Barisan Nasional (BN) for some of this time.”

No immigration checks between domestic points except between territories.

In stressing that he doesn’t want to be made a scapegoat for the federalization of Labuan in particular, he reminded that the status of the island was decided by the Sabah and Federal Governments “in the national interest. It was not a mistake.”

“We made the decision because the Berjaya Government believed in Malaysia,” said Harris. “The State Assemblymen and MPs, at that time, all supported the federalization of Labuan.”

“The immigration issue between Labuan and Sabah was decided by the Federal and Sabah Governments.”

In short, although Labuan is a Federal Territory, it’s not considered as having the same status as the peninsula or Sarawak for immigration purposes vis a vis the mainland. The people on the island remain very much Sabahans, as indicated in their ICs and MyKads, and the Federal Territory enjoys the same status as any domestic point on the Sabah mainland i.e. no immigration checks between domestic points. The immigration laws do not allow for checks between domestic points except between the peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak.