KUCHING, July 24: PBB supreme council member Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar today schooled Parti Sarawak Bersaru (PSB) on the history of Sarawak so-called “self-government” on July 22, 1963 that led to the formation of Malaysia on September 16,1963.
“The British decided to give the self-government to Sarawak on July 22, 1963. The British governor in Sarawak was only formally withdrawing his authority in Sarawak on 16 September, 1963, like the relinquishment of Her Majesty the Queen sovereignty and jurisdiction on the 16 September, 1963.
“All the British laws applicable to Sarawak, Sabah and Singapore only ceased to be applicable on the 16 September, 1963. Thus Sarawak become independence on the 16 September, 1963.
“Therefore, my advice to PSB is: please study your history correctly before you start thinking of a bigger thing like governing Sarawak,” Wan Junaidi said in a statement issued here today.
On the chronological event leading to the formation of Malaysia, Wan Junaidi said, after the Tunku Abdul Rahman overture in the May 27, 1961 at the press luncheon in Singapore, the matter was brought to Dewan Rakyat, Parliament Tanah Melayu to pass a motion to allow Tunku to discuss with the British, Brunei government, leaders of the Territory of Sarawak, Sabah, and Singapore.
“Then, series of discussions were made between Tunku and the British government between the October 16-November 23, 1961 on the viability of the idea for the formation of Malaysia.
The British and Malayan governments announced the formation of the Cobbold Commission on the 16 January, 1962. The Commission did its work in Sarawak and Sabah from January until June 1962. The report was submitted to British Government on the 21 June, 1962,” said Wan Junaidi.
After that, the Cobbold Commission was set up to conduct enquiry on the wishes of the people of Sarawak and Sabah on the Formation of the Federation of Malaysia.
“Consequent to Cobbold Commission Report, an Inter-Governmental Committee was formed to study the implementation of the Cobbold Commission Report.
“The Inter-Government Committee Report was completed and signed on the 27 February, 1963 which produced the draft of the Malaysia Agreement with the draft of Malaysia Bill annexed to it. The Malaysia Agreement was signed on the 9 July, 1963, later becomes known as the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“The MA63 determines that the Act of Malaysia was to come into operation on the 31 August, 1963. Which means that Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth’s sovereignty and jurisdiction over the States of Singapore, Sarawak and Sabah shall cease and the same shall be vested on the Federation of Malaysia and the new States of Sarawak and North Borneo,” he said.
Wan Junaidi reiterated that after that even Motion was being tabled and passed in the House of Commons on July 19, 1963 for the colonies of North Borneo, Sarawak and the State of Singapore to be federated with the existing States of the Federation of Malaya.
“This was to comply with the notion that, “…. not an inch of the territories of the United Kingdom could be ceded out without the consent of the Commons in the House of Commons..”. Remember that this motion is very precise in its wording for the purpose of enabling the territories of Sarawak and Sabah to be federated with the States of the Federation of Malaya,” he said.
Wan Juniaid reiterated that the ‘Malaysia Bill’ was to be tabled at the Parliament of the United Kingdom as Act of Malaysia Chapter 35 and at the Parliament of the Federation of Malaya to be made into law as the Act of Malaysia 26 of 1963.
“The vesting of the Act of Malaysia and laws of the Federation on Sarawak and the North Borneo did not happen as stipulates in the Malaysia Agreement because of the protest made by Indonesia and the Philippines.
“Thus, the Manila Submit was held late July and early August 1963. A resolution was made in the Summit to ask for a Representative of the United Nations to come to Sarawak and North Borneo to make assessment and enquiry. Then U Thant, the Secretary General of the UN was despatched to Sarawak and Sabah to make assessment and enquiry,” he explained.
Wan Junaidi, who is also Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives, pointed out that because of the inordinate delay a Supplementary Agreement was made and signed in Singapore on July 28, 1963 to amend the date stipulated in the MA63 to be delayed to 16 September, 1963 for vesting of the Act of Malaysia to the new Federation (Article II of the MA63) and vesting of the Constitutions of Sarawak, Sabah and Singapore as States of Malaysia (Article III of the MA63) and the relinquishment of Her Majesty’s sovereignty and jurisdiction over the States of Sarawak, Sabah and Singapore (Section 1(1) of the Act of Malaysia 1963 – Chapter 35).
“During the Cobbold Commission of enquiry and the deliberations of the IGC the issue of asking for the independence of Sarawak and Sabah before the signing of MA63 was made. But it was never being stipulated in the MA63 nor in the draft Act of Malaysia.
“However, the British Colonial Administration, like their practice elsewhere, including in Malaya, the self-government of Malaya was granted in July, 1955,” added Wan Junaidi.—DayakDaily
