Kota Kinabalu: Late Chief Minister Tan Sri Peter Lo came in for praise – albeit posthumously – for revealing important insights into Malaysia’s formation even though he could have just taken them to his grave upon his passing on Jan. 1, 2020 at age 96.
“I was right about my concern all along that the rush into forming Malaysia was detrimental to the future of Sabah and Sarawak…all because of the pursuit of British selfish interest in the region,” said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.
He was referring to Lo’s disclosure to the Daily Express in 2014 about an attempt by the Chinese community in then British North Borneo to paint Britain’s then Prime Minister Sir Harold McMillan as a Judas for rushing the process.
Lo had wanted details of the only known attempt to embarrass the British anywhere in the Commonwealth to be revealed after his passing. Daily Express complied his wish by doing so on the first anniversary of his passing.
Our front page exclusive on Sunday
Lo, the first Sabah-born lawyer who later became the first Sabahan to be appointed as a Federal Minister in first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman’s Cabinet, revealed of a plan by a Sandakan group led by businessman Kwan Yew Meng to present last Governor Sir William Goode with 30 coins meant for McMillan.
“The Judas coins were created to express this disappointment by the Chinese community leaders at the time and is a testimony to this sellout by them.
“The amazing thing about the British is that they write about their feelings and expressed them personally in their individual writings...Cobbold, Goode to name a few... which point to many contradictions and inconsistencies in their decisions and actions leading up to the proclamation of Malaysia on September 16, 1963,” Jeffrey said.
Jeffrey who had been actively pursuing Sabah’s rights and was once detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) by then PM Tun Dr Mahathir, said the latter once even told him not to tell Sabahans what they do not know.
Citing some of the “inconsistencies”, the Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) President said both the British and Tunku promised independence and yet rushed to handover/takeover the Borneo territories before this could happen.
“They promised a referendum but only did a survey, then signed the MA63 before the process of forming Malaysia was even completed and did not rectify the MA63 and signed an updated version accommodating the new status of Sabah and Sarawak as self governed or independent states as per the Malaysia proclamation ... resulting in the mess we are facing today.”
Lo said Malaysia was a British agenda but they made it appear that it is the people of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak and Sabah (British North Borneo) who wanted it. He said they feared what would happen if these territories were given independence on their own in the face of rising communism, and especially their proximity to Australia and New Zealand.
Lo is seen in this 2014 picture holding the sole coin left. He wanted the story behind the “Judas coins” made public only after his passing.
He died on Jan.1, 2020 aged 96. Pic by James Sarda.
Jeffrey also said it was heartening to know that some colonial officials sympathised with the locals and assisted the Sabah leaders in the 20 Points safeguards.
“We need to thank Ken Jones who, despite being the departing colonial administration’s Attorney General, secretly helped to go through 13 or 14 of the 20 Points safeguards and for suggesting to the Sabah leaders that perhaps they should insist on a new Malaysian Constitution instead of adopting the Malayan Constitution, as revealed by Lo,” he said.
“My opinion then and now has also never changed i.e. that some of our leaders sold us out. Sorry to say but that’s a fact,” he said. He did not elaborate.
Lo said the objective of plan by the Chinese community leaders was to force the British Government to delay the merger, since their earlier hope for self government or independence on its own failed.
Close up of both sides of the coin.
It was to be in the form of presenting the “Judas coins” and were prepared to be arrested for doing so.
However, the colonial government’s Special Branch got wind of it and warned them of arrest. The coins were seized and Lo managed to convince the then Special Branch Head Tom Lilley to allow him to keep one of them as a souvenir.
He said Kwan had the “Judas coins” specially minted in Hong Kong. The inscription on one side read “North Borneo Malaysia and Mac. London Aug 1963” while the flipside had the words “North Borneo Malaysia and Judas Gethsemane AD33”. AD33 refers to the year that Jesus was crucified at age 33. The reference to August 1963 refers to the original Malaysia date. The “Mac” with a dot refers to the then Conservative British Prime Minister.
“Gethsemane”, according to Christian belief, was the garden in Jerusalem where Jesus was betrayed by Judas for 30 shillings while He prayed after the Last Supper on the eve of His death from crucifixion.
