KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan Sabah is not interested in arguing over semantics but is outraged that the BN leadership has the audacity to downgrade an international treaty into a political manifesto.
A statement issued by the Legal Bureau of Parti Warisan Sabah reminded Anifah Aman that the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) is an international treaty and Annex A – Malaysia Bill is incorporated into the Federal Constitution.
“MA63 should not even be in the BN Manifesto in the first place. By downgrading an international treaty and the Federal Constitution into a political manifesto, the BN leadership is actually mocking the MA63.”
The BN leadership must realise that as they are the government, it is their sacred duty and responsibility to uphold and protect the Federal Constitution and it is their obligation to implement whatever terms there are as provided for in the MA63 and the Federal Constitution.
“This they failed to do for more than five decades.”
Further, the people of Sabah are sick and tired of being told that such and such committees have been formed and have met.
“The people are not interested whether you do it by consensus or otherwise. The people are interested in its implementation, not about how many committees and how many meetings are held.”
All negotiations were done and completed in 1963 and the result of these negotiations is the MA63.
Anifah appears clueless about MA63 and is assuming that reviewing the agreement cannot be done unilaterally.
Perhaps Anifah has overlooked Article 8 of MA63 which does not specifically mention that the governments of the Federation of Malaya, North Borneo (Sabah), Sarawak and Singapore have to sit down and reach a consensus.
Each has a right to unilaterally decide and take whatever “legislative, executive or other action as may be required to implement the assurances, undertakings and recommendations …..”
There is also no need for any review of the agreement. The only review is in the financial provision.
However, the procedures for this review are given both in MA63 and the Federal Constitution.
Nevertheless, the question arises as to the significance of a review when whatever was agreed in 1963 was never implemented in the first place. This is a typical blackmail tactic used by the BN leadership.
They tend to shamelessly use MA63 to extort votes from the people in Sabah and Sarawak.
“How is it that the BN leadership imposed additional conditions before wanting to implement MA63? The BN leadership has their chance to give the rights to Sabah right now, or the people shall vote Warisan to reclaim their rights.”
As a state-based party for Bangsa Sabah, Warisan aims to get more than a two third majority in the State Legislative Assembly.
With this overwhelming mandate, if the central government fails to provide the rights of Sabah as provided for in MA63 and the Federal Constitution, the Warisan Government reserves the right to bring this issue to London for arbitration.
Before Anifah starts berating anyone about not wanting any foreign power interfering in this issue, let us remind him that MA63 was signed in London and one of the signatories was the United Kingdom.
Anifah should know what the word “consensus” means – that the United Kingdom is a part of MA63.
It is hardly a surprise that the BN/UMNO leadership will resort to double standards when they know they are at the losing end.
Warisan will be persistent and assertive when it comes to MA63.-pr/BNN
