Kota Kinabalu: To a question by students in the audience on the challenge of misinformation in the age of artificial intelligence, James drew a distinction between hardware and software.
He said technology was the hardware, constantly changing every 18 months or less, and the younger generation was the software that needed to be built up. “We have to prepare the software.”
He said the Malaysia Agreement 1963, the Cobbold Commission report and the Inter-Governmental Committee Report should be incorporated into the national school syllabus, pointing out that without this foundation young people could not distinguish fact from distortion when navigating the internet or social media.
“If they are fully equipped with what the whole Malaysia formation is all about, when it comes to artificial intelligence and all that, they will be able to detect what is false and what has been twisted,” he said.
He noted that chat groups today were full of MA63 experts going in circles precisely because they lacked this grounding.
“Once we understand the context in which Malaysia was formed, then we are ready to tackle any misconceptions or misinformation that may arise from the misuse of artificial intelligence,” he said.
On the path forward for Sabah, James said the starting point is to set aside past grievances and take stock of present challenges.
“We move forward. And the only way that we can move forward is to note what actually is the problem,” he said.
He identified the core issues as autonomy, the full implementation of the MA63, the 40 per cent revenue entitlement and illegal immigration and said addressing all of these would make Sabahans genuinely happy.
“The important thing is for Sabahans to have a sense of belonging as citizens of Malaysia and feel that they are receiving all the privileges and benefits that are rightfully theirs,” he said.
He said Prime Minister Anwar had already made meaningful improvements to Sabah’s autonomy, allowing the State to make certain decisions without constantly referring to Kuala Lumpur.
He added that the Federal Constitution amendment under former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri, which restored Sabah and Sarawak as one-third partners in the federation, has serious implications on how national resources should be distributed.
“If there are 100 Mara, Petronas or JPA scholarships, 30 must be reserved for Sabah, 30 for Sarawak, and 30 for the Peninsula. Only then will Sabahans and Sarawakians have a true sense of belonging. Only then will they be happy.”
He said progress on the MA63 would take time and Sabahans need to be patient, but where there is progress there is hope.
“We just have to make sure that we keep working towards it,” he said.
