Letter to the Editor
By Xavier Manuel Mutu
It is perplexing to learn that lately, Bersih, which clearly stated that its main objective was to push for a thorough reform of the electoral process in Malaysia for clean and fair elections (thus the name ‘Bersih’ in Bahasa Malaysia), has joined the bandwagon of the opposition to try to deny Sarawak and Sabah’s push for one-third of the seats in Parliament.
Clearly, this attempt by Bersih and its affiliate Rise of Social Efforts (ROSE) has an ulterior motive in not supporting Sarawak and Sabah’s efforts to gain their rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Bersih and ROSE’s latest attempt to deny the Borneo States the crucial one-third of parliamentary seats is akin to betraying their very own objective and existence.
As non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that fight for better democratic reforms, Bersih and ROSE should fiercely defend the Sarawak government’s push for better representation in Parliament. After all, that is what both organisations are fighting for in the first place, as indicated in their objectives.
Surprisingly, the opposite is happening now, as they have changed their stance to oppose the move for Sarawak and Sabah to have better representation in Parliament.
As such, both NGOs have contradicted their main objective and appear to have become tools of the opposition. As a reader, I personally hope that Bersih and ROSE will stick to their objectives and not deviate into actions that contradict their very existence.
As for myopic writers from West Malaysia, I have a question for them. How would you feel if you were in our shoes? Would you remain silent after witnessing injustices that have been committed for far too long?
So, I have a message for them: To refresh your memory, we are all Malaysians per courtesy of MA63. But for almost six decades, Sarawak and Sabah have been helpless and voiceless to the fundamental changes with the passing of laws (in our Parliament) that have directly affected our standing in the federation.
Some of these laws were passed without the prior endorsement from our Sarawak Legislative Assembly. Two such laws, namely the amendment to our constitution that downgraded both Sarawak into mere states in the Federation, passed in 1976, as well as the Petroleum Development Act (PDA) 1974, were unjust and undemocratic.
On this basis, Bersih and ROSE must relook at their objectives and see through the ‘eyes’ of Sarawak and Sabah to understand what one-third of the seats in Parliament truly mean so that laws affecting both Bornean States are not passed without our prior consent.
In response to the question of why Sarawak is only now making this demand for better representation in Parliament, the answer is obvious.
Like him or hate him, it was former Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak who abolished draconian laws such as the Internal Security Act (ISA) in 2012 and the Emergency Ordinance (EO) in 2013. Both laws allowed the authorities to arrest individuals without trial or criminal charges under limited, legally defined circumstances.
To the ill-informed West Malaysian writers, we in Sarawak have this to say—please stay out of our affairs. We are not negotiating with you, and we know very well that you are merely pawns and tools of your paymasters.
Finally, I would like to quote the Malay proverb, ‘jangan jaga tepi kain orang lain’ (don’t interfere with other people’s business).
Xavier Manuel Mutu is a former lecturer.
This is the personal opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of DayakDaily. Letters to the Editor may be lightly edited for clarity.
