KUCHING, Nov 30: Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru (PBDSB) fully supports State Reform Party Sarawak (STAR) president Lina Soo to take up the recent open invitation from Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia to debate on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
PBDSB agrees that such a debate would be a platform and an opportunity to educate the general public not only on MA63, but also other documents related to the formation of Malaysia.
An in-depth look at the bigger picture via a platform to “discuss or debate” on MA63 in public will bring awareness to all Malaysians, especially Sarawakians and Sabahans.
In a press statement, PBDSB claimed most Sarawakians know the Federation of Malaysia is made up of three (3) nations, i.e. Sarawak, Sabah and Malaya, after Brunei and Singapore decided not to joined in.
The major question now is why was there is a need to amend the Constitution in 1976 to downgrade Sabah and Sarawak from individual territories into Malaysian states.
PBDSB opined that the downgrade has completely eroded the autonomy rights of both Sarawak and Sabah in their 18 and 20-point agreement respectively set forth in MA63.
The party noted that in seeking an amicable answer to the downgrade made, Soo was declared as a threat to security and public order during her period as the former president of Sarawak Association for Peoples’ Aspiration (SAPA), when they were the first in the country to initiate discussion and public forums on MA63 throughout Sarawak.
“Was it because SAPA was not under the authority and directives of the Sarawak government to initiate such discussion of the truth for MA63?,” the party asked.
The statement also claimed that Sarawakians and Sabahans have many young intellectuals who are beginning to question the downgrade amendments made.
Such a downgrade was viewed as a leverage for the Federation of Malaya to upgrade its own federation through the new Federation of Malaysia by incorporating Sarawak and Sabah indirectly under Federation of Malaya which was then upgraded to Malaysia.
PBDSB opined that the challenge and debate will give a clear and transparent “discussion” to justify it all.
The party also highlighted that even this year’s Merdeka Day celebration was announced on radio and TV broadcasts as Malaysia is celebrating its 60th anniversary.
“Malaysia was formed in the year of 1963; if 2017 minus 1963, it should be 54, not 60. How are Sarawakians and Sabahans parents to answer their children, if such facts are being questioned? Any primary school student would know how to calculate that,” the party said.
PBDSB pointed out that Sarawakians and Sabahans are not opposing for the sake of opposing but if truth and facts are being twisted and not being spelled out from a historical and documented perspective, it believes it is their right and duty to voice out the rights of Sarawakians and Sabahans. — DayakDaily
