Religion never among topics raised
Published on: Thursday, November 16, 2017
Kota Kinabalu: Both opposition Warisan Sabah and SAPP say they are puzzled by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin's decision to zero in specifically on religion in the ongoing debate on Sabah and Sarawak rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) that have been supposedly ignored by Federal."Article 5A of the Sabah State Constitution is not an issue at all," said Parti Warisan Sabah Deputy President Darell Leiking. "We are talking about the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (more so the transgression all these years) as well as the erosion of Sabah rights and what has been agreed to by those who framed the MA63.ADVERTISEMENT "I repeat there will be no constitutional amendment of any kind at all unless it is the wish of the majority of Sabahans," said the Penampang MP-cum-Warisan deputy head."Pandikar seems bereft of ideas and issues if he were to harp on race and religion, where in Sabah people of all races and religions live together harmoniously. "It would be very malicious of Pandikar to imply that Warisan wants to use 'race and religious' issues when it is in fact the other way round – it is our opponents like Pandikar who shamelessly flaunt the race and religion card to boost their flagging political parties," he said in a statement, Wednesday. "What the Sabah Assembly had already done in the 1973 Sabah Constitutional Amendment is done and can be more enlightened by perusing the Hansard at that material time where I understand only six (6) members of the Sabah State Assembly (including the Minister who proposed it) had debated the amendment. ADVERTISEMENT "I also understand that the late Datuk Anthony Gibbon was the only non-Muslim State Assemblymen out of the six who debated on the Amendment and that there being no dissension the same amendment was passed unanimously in 1973."We must, instead, act against the rise of any extremism and the disparity caused by people who uses religious beliefs and race as a 'way and means' to enhance their career as well as their politics.
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"We should be talking of how to revive Sabah's economy and help its citizens. We must also solve once and for all, the bludgeoning illegal immigrant problem in Sabah and which is indeed the mother of all problems (to borrow a quote)," he said. "We in Warisan are steadfast to make it fair for all Sabahans at all spheres of the Civil Service, and generally, so that Sabah will remain free and different from the influences of West Malaysia with their polarised differences, which is fast creeping into our beloved State."Darell said Pandikar had also questioned why PBS did not amend Article 5A. I now put it to Pandikar to ask his own colleagues in the Barisan Nasional on their respective position to his question on whether they want to amend or otherwise the Article 5A of the Sabah Constitution as "religion" seems to be the Barisan Nasional's game these days and this is clearly evident in Pandikar's game as well."I am personally guided by the people who framed the Malaysia Agreement 1963, the debates at UK Parliament when passing the Malaysia Bill and on many judicial precedents today as well as arguments that have since clarified the actual position of what is "an Official Religion."I am inclined with the declaration by the then 'Supreme Court' in Che Omar Che Soh vs PP (1988) 2 MLJ 55 (which remains good law to date) wherein it was inter alia in my personal Opinion from my reading of the judgment clarified that the Federal Constitution is not to be guided by any religion at all," he said. SAPP President Datuk Yong Teck Lee, who is also Gabungan Sabah (United Sabah Alliance) vice chairman, said Pandikar was "out of point" because the alliance never brought up the issue of religion. "There has been absolutely no thought of and no intention at all to amend Article 5A of the Sabah Constitution making Islam no longer the official religion should the Sabah opposition from the State Government," he said, in a statement. "Therefore, the challenge by Pandikar 'in his capacity as a Sabahan and not as a Dewan Rakyat Speaker' to opposition critics to state whether to amend Article 5A of the Sabah Constitution is out of point."He picked only one of the 20 points in the 20-Point Memorandum of 1963 to argue that Sabah local opposition parties are engaging in 'empty rhetoric'."Yong said non-compliance with the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), which included the promises made in the Inger-Governmental Report 1962, includes a host of issues."Among them are the Borneonisation of the public service, the 40 per cent entitlement to net revenue collected from Sabah, minerals resources, Cabotage Policy, autonomy and related matters."Therefore, we should not select only one of the 20 points and then paint the entire struggle for compliance with MA63 as empty rhetoric."In any case, there are many matters, such as oil and gas and trade, among others, which were not mentioned in the 20-Point Memorandum."Further, the absence of matters in MA63 and the IGC Report 1962 does not preclude Sabahans from raising issues of recent times such as Sabah ICs, information technology, digital economy and regional security," he said.Yong said the fact that the Sarawak Legislative Assembly had passed a unanimous motion to reclaim their rights, that both Federal and Sabah governments have formed committees to ensure compliance with MA63 and reclaim Sabah rights, vindicates what the Sabah opposition parties have been saying for many years.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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"After reading the book 'Berpisah Tiada' penned by Tan Sri Pandikar and published by Usbo, which was launched last Sunday, I feel that the time has come for Sabahans of different political persuasions to come together at a roundtable to lay out all the issues facing Sabah so that Sabahans can re-unite to fight for what rightfully belongs to Sabah."Like Tan Sri Pandikar, I too speak as a Sabahan," he said.