TUNGKU Assemblyman Assaffal P Alian urged clarification on whether Sabah Day is meant to celebrate independence or self-governance, arguing that historical documents do not support the notion of Sabah being independent on August 31.
Debating the Supplementary Budget Bill on Tuesday, Assafal questioned the legal basis for the recent declaration of August 31 as Sabah Day, noting that it was made through a government gazette without debate in the assembly.
He raised historical points about Sabah’s status on August 31, 1963, suggesting that the State was still a British colony at that time and only gained self-governance upon the formation of Malaysia on September 16, 1963.
“If it means our Independence Day, then the people of Sabah certainly want to know on what basis this independence is claimed,” he said.
“There should be a more rigorous historical and constitutional examination of Sabah’s status. I suggest reverting to the original translation of “The Federation” in Article 46 of the Federal Constitution and invoking Paragraph 30 of the Inter-Governmental Committee Report to establish special constitutional arrangements for Sabah.
“I welcome the desire to liberate Sabah and gazette Sabah Day, however, at the same time, let’s not become a historical joke for our children just because we didn’t know the correct process,” he said.
Earlier in his debate, he called for greater transparency in financial reporting, suggesting that the State Government should present a clear financial statement when requesting additional budget allocations.
He highlighted economic trends, citing data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia by noting a significant decline in Sabah’s export performance, with exports falling from 48.897 billion in 2022 to 31.84 billion in 2023, a decrease of 36.43 per cent. The trade balance also saw a substantial drop of 45.70 per cent.
“Foreign Direct Investment in Sabah plummeted by 98.5 per cent, from 9.171 billion in 2022 to a mere 0.132 billion in 2023. While domestic investment showed some improvement, overall investment declined by 2.39 per cent,” he said.
He was concerned that Sabah’s economic growth had fallen short of targets set in the SMJ Roadmap Plan.
“Growth declined from 3.9 per cent in 2022 to 1.3 per cent in 2023, far below the four per cent target. GDP contribution and per capita income also saw decreases,” he said.
“There must be transparency in financial reporting, the government should present a clear financial statement when requesting additional budget allocations.
“It is important for us to understand whether the State is operating within a surplus or deficit budget,” he said.
He spoke on specific budget allocations, questioning the substantial funds requested for celebrations and special days, while asking for a detailed breakdown of these expenses, arguing for more prudent spending considering economic challenges.
A point raised was the allocation of 97.9 million ringgit specifically for government-aligned representatives.
He claimed that this is unfair to constituents in opposition-held areas, saying “The government can punish us [opposition representatives], it’s okay, but don’t punish the people who don’t know who will become their representative when they cast their vote.”
