Good if Shafie can emulate Adnan: PCS
Published on: Friday, February 03, 2017
Kota Kinabalu: Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) welcomed the statement made by Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) President Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal who vowed to continue the struggle of the late Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem.PCS Information Chief Ramdi Indang said Adenan was known for his uncompromising stand in defending the rights of Sarawak as stipulated in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and in the process, through his actions and words, demonstrated to the people in both Sabah and Sarawak what Malaysia Agreement 1963 means."Adenan effectively communicated to the Bornean people about what the State government is capable of doing if the agreement is honoured.
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"For instance, he made English the second official language of Sarawak, led the decision to recognise the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), and allowed the use of 'Allah' by Christians... all these are parts of the 53 rights listed in the Inter-Governmental Committee (ICG) Report which formed the basis of the agreement," he said.Adenan was Sarawak Chief Minister from March 2014 until his death on Jan 11 this year. Under his leadership, Sarawak BN crushed the opposition, capturing 72 out of 82 State seats with Adenan winning his seat of Tanjung Datu with 93.4 per cent of the popular vote.As a chief minister, he clashed with the federal government from time to time despite his party being part of the ruling federal coalition. He spoke openly about strengthening Sarawak's autonomy and called for a higher state share of petroleum royalty, much to the consternation of Putrajaya and the national oil company Petronas.
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His untimely death left a huge impact throughout, not only Sarawak but also Sabah, where many were inspired by his leadership and bravery.Ramdi said by associating Warisan to Adenan, Shafie is effectively saying that Warisan's struggle is also based on the Malaysia Agreement 1963.
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"As many are aware already, that had always been PCS' struggle as well. We believe there is nothing more important than the implementation of Malaysia Agreement 1963. Indeed, the time of discussion had passed. We have waited more than 50 years for the full implementation," he said.He believed that Shafie, who is also Semporna MP, made the right call with regards to the agreement because only by implementing it can Sabah, and also Sarawak, be able to grow.The people, he said, are tired of being left behind and having no control over their own resources and money because everything is siphoned off to the federal coffer.To top it off, he said, there is no sign of Sabah ever receiving the full 40 per cent of the State's nett revenue income despite it is clearly being stipulated in the Federal Constitution.This is why, he said, the State government needs to be replaced by those who can actually truly reclaim Sabah's rights and by the look of it, only the parties that truly understand the agreement will be able to actually implement it.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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