By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, May 9: Dr James Chin, a professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania, strongly criticised former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s recent statement on Sarawak’s effort to regain its oil and gas rights.
In a Facebook post today responding to Mahathir’s recent remarks in an interview with FMT and question on why Sarawak did not build the Petronas Twin Towers during the British rule, the academician highlighted the decades-long neglect of Sabah and Sarawak during the former prime minister’s tenure.
“I have a simple question,” he said. “If he truly cared about Sabah and Sarawak, why weren’t the towers built in Kuching/Kota Kinabalu?
“Why wasn’t Petronas headquartered in Kota Kinabalu or Kuching? After all, one tower was funded by Sarawak’s oil and gas, and the other by Sabah’s.”
He added, “Am I wrong to say that for over 50 years, Petronas and the Federal government have treated Sabah and Sarawak’s oil and gas as a piggybank? How much longer are we expected to wait? Another 50 years—until the resources run out?”
Chin further accused the former two-time prime minister of decades-long neglect and marginalisation of Sabah and Sarawak during his time in power, both in 1981 to 2003 and again from 2018 to 2020.
The academician claimed that Mahathir believed in centralising power, and during his tenure as Prime Minister, treated the East Malaysian states merely as “fixed deposits” for Barisan Nasional. He pointed out that Mahathir viewed Sabahans and Sarawakians as “passive and loyal supporters”, a perception that allowed him to act with little accountability toward the region.
“When he returned to power in 2018, he showed little genuine support for the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63). His administration offered only minor administrative adjustments and devolved limited authority back to Kota Kinabalu and Kuching.
“He was unwilling to even discuss anything to do with oil and gas (O&G),” Chin said.
He further criticised Mahathir’s political stance, stating that the former prime minister continues to view Sabahans and Sarawakians as subordinate to Peninsular Malaysia.
“This is wrong on every level,” Chin said. – DayakDaily
