KUCHING, Sept 16: The Sarawak government reminds Putrajaya that Sarawak is an equal partner in the formation of Malaysia.
With that said, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan held that Putrajaya should honour the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) even if it means incorporating the agreement into the Federal Constitution.
“Anang baka tebu, manis ba pun tabar ba ujung,” he said in a statement citing Sarawak’s first Governor Tun Jugah Barieng when the latter signed MA63 during the formation of Malaysia at the time.
The statement literally means “Don’t be like sugarcane, sweet in the beginning but turned less sweet in the end.”
Awang Tengah stressed that Sarawak government is serious in restoring the rights of Sarawak which have been eroded over the years, and the federal government should not underestimate the state government’s effort in doing so.
He also reminded Putrajaya that Sarawak is one of the biggest contributors to the Malaysian economy, after Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, as of last year.
“Sarawak’s political stability, and trade-friendly environment as well as trainable and highly skilled workforce has been the main contributor to its strong economy as well as the country’s economy,” he said.
Meanwhile, Awang Tengah hoped that the Malaysia Day 2019 celebration hosted by the State today would rekindle the spirit among Sarawakians the love for the State.
“We hope this celebration, Sarawakians will be more aware of Sarawak’s history and the formation of Malaysia.
“We don’t want our rights to continue to be eroded. We just want our rights back according to the MA63. That’s all.
“We want to close the development gap between the Peninsular and Sarawak. That is what we (state government) are fighting for,” he said.— DayakDaily
