By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, July 11: Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) has officially expanded into Sabah and will contest in the upcoming state election in a bid to push its long-standing agenda for the independence of both Sabah and Sarawak.
PBK president Voon Lee Shan, in a video uploaded on his official Facebook page today, said the party’s move into Sabah was in response to growing requests from Sabahans who are seeking a political platform to champion state rights and independence from the Federation of Malaysia.
“We shall be contesting in the coming Sabah election with the hope to capture at least a few seats in the Sabah Legislature.
“Our fight is for the independence of Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.
He asserted that there is both a political and legal right for Sabah and Sarawak to exit the Malaysian Federation if the people are no longer happy with the current arrangement.
“If Singapore can leave the federation of Malaysia, there is no reason why we cannot also leave,” he stressed.
Voon argued that Sabah and Sarawak have been suppressed, oppressed and mistreated since the formation of Malaysia, and have lost out on the terms supposedly agreed upon under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“In fact, we have been advised by many legal experts and politicians that the MA63 is not a valid agreement. If it is null and void, Malaysia should not have been formed,” he claimed.
He further alleged that Sabah is losing an estimated RM90 billion annually in oil revenue extracted by the federal government through Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS), while Sarawak is losing about RM110 billion each year.
“In return, Sabah only receives about RM6 billion annually in development funding, while Sarawak gets less than RM5 billion,” Voon said, adding that other federal tax revenues are also largely taken away from the two Borneo states.
He described the MA63 deal as being manipulated, leaving Sabah and Sarawak disadvantaged.
“We lost in all the bargains. It is time to reconsider our position and our marriage with Malaya,” he said.
Voon urged Sabahans to support PBK in the upcoming state election if they want to reclaim their rights to oil and gas resources and push forward the struggle for independence.
“I hope Sabahans rise up and support PBK if you want freedom, if you want independence, and if you want your oil and gas to develop Sabah,” he emphasised. — DayakDaily
