Kota Kinabalu: Whether he knew it or not, then Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman was the first to undermine the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) by breaching the promise to respect Sabah’s and Sarawak’s autonomy, according to Sabah’s first reporter Datuk Mohd Fauzi Patel.
Patel said Tunku did this by sending Federal officers to take over some of Sabah and Sarawak’s powers, which was construed as undermining the authority of both first Chief Ministers Donald (later Tun Fuad) Stephens in Sabah and Tan Sri Stephen Kalong Ningkan in Sarawak.
This made it difficult for both leaders to function effectively, leading to their downfall within three years.
Patel disclosed this in a series of exclusive interviews with Daily Express Chief Editor Datuk James Sarda and Universiti Malaya History Professor Datuk Dr Danny Wong that are contained in a book to be launched on Feb. 14. Patel died in 2012, the memoirs are only published now.
Advertisement
