Congratulation to Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili upon being appointed again as Federal Minister – this time in charge of Sabah and Sarawak affairs. Thank you also for pledging to solve the status of Sabah and Sarawak in the Federation of Malaysia, the Issue of Illegals and the 40 per cent share of Federal revenue collected from Sabah.
On record Datuk, you were elected to represent Sabah from 1985 till 2018 – that is a total of 33 years and as a Federal Minister holding various important positions for 30 years.
All this while you had the opportunity to solve all the three issues, during your time as a Member of Parliament and Minister. The government which you were a part of had a two third majority to amend the Federal Constitution to revert the status of Sabah and Sarawak as per Malaysia Day 1963.
Therefore, it is your obligation to explain to Sabahans, as to why you did not on record raise any of these three important issues to Parliament and the Federal Cabinet meetings.
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You are aware that you may be able to solve the issue of Illegals and the 40pc Revenue, but you will never ever get a two thirds majority to amend the Federal Constitution as per pre 1963.
You are also fully aware that Sabah and Sarawak have been on an equal three way Partnership in the Federation from 1963 to 1976. In 1976 the Federal Constitution was amended to make Sabah and Sarawak one of the Thirteen (13) partners in the Federation. This, in effect, legally gave Sabah and Sarawak administrative powers as one of thirteen partners in the Federation Malaysia from 1963 to this day. All seemed very well indeed.
It is acknowledged that you did not raise these important issues for two reasons: Number One, you may have accepted and convinced yourself there was no need for the return of the Status, as the illegals merely wanted to work in Sabah for the economy and the 40pc is paid by the Federal Government through development.
Number Two, you wanted to keep your position as a Federal Minister and not enrage the Prime Minister and prominent people.
You and everybody are fully aware that since 1963 to the present day, Sabah and Sarawak has been treated as an equal partner of thirteen (13) in the Federation. Datuk, you have to explain what is the gain or loss of being treated as an equal partner of 13 as opposed to be an equal partner of three (3).
Does it offer any drastic economic benefits to the people of Tambunan or Kota Marudu? Actually, everybody, especially the rural poor, after years of sentimental propaganda, expected to be better off if only one of the three issues is solved.
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The two (2) issues (i) Illegals, and (ii) forty per cent (40pc) of Federal Revenue collected from Sabah to be given back to Sabah. The issue of Illegals resulted in the establishment of a Royal commission of Inquiry that spent twelve months collecting evidence.
Did you pursue at the federal Level the findings of the Royal Commission? This is the same as the Forty Percent (40pc) of Revenue. There is no record easily available to show that you as a Sabah representative raised these issues in Parliament or in the Cabinet in your 33 years.
The Federal and Sabah Government agreed to issue temporary pass for these people to stay and work in Sabah, but Sabah preferred to employ illegals. No records, no costs, no identification. Therefore, these illegals can move from one employer to another freely. Without any identification, they are free to create wrong doings and cannot be traced.
The issue of Forty Percent (40pc) share of the Federal Revenue collected from Sabah to be returned to Sabah is subject to the English Interpretation of the Malaysia Constitution.
Datuk, apparently, Sabah Leaders including yourself have been playing with sentimental politicking to keep Sabah alive. You have been in Parliament and a Member of the Federal Cabinet for years, but did not once raise nor rectified any these three issues which other leaders have claimed to be of the utmost importance for the economic survival of Sabahans. It is contended that either you missed the golden opportunity or you purposely did not want to raise the issues for reasons only known to yourself. Based on the composition of Members of Parliament at this term, it is a figment of your imagination that you will get the two-thirds support to amend the Constitution and return the Status of Sabah and Sarawak to that in 1963.
We, the Rakyat are looking to you to solve all these three issues and once solved, will raise out economic income tremendously.