Najib should seriously implement 20-Points Agreement on Borneonisation by setting target to fill at least half of 59 Federal departments in Sabah with Sabahans as heads before the next Malaysia Day on September 16, 2011


Sabahans are disappointed that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has come to Sabah completely empty-handed for the first Malaysia Day national public holiday in 47 years.

This makes a complete mockery of the belated recognition of the importance and significance of September 16 as Malaysia Day in the history of Malaysian nation-building process, which involves the rightful place of Sabahans and Sarawakians in the Malaysian scheme of things.

If not for People’s Power as represented by the emergence of Pakatan Rakyat, Malaysia Day on September 16 would not have been declared a national public holiday by the Prime Minister even after 47 years!

This is why the people of Sabah and Sarawak do not want to see the declaration of Malaysia Day as a national public holiday as a mere political ploy but want it to symbolize a belated recognition by and wake-up call for the Federal Government after 47 years to take seriously and address full-heartedly the frustrations, grievances and alienations suffered by Sabahans and Sarawakians for three generations at not being given full and fair treatment as Malaysian citizens – by removing once and for all the nagging sense felt by Sabahans and Sarawakians that they are not accorded recognition and rights as first-class citizens of Malaysia.

This is why Sabahans and Sarawakians expect more than having Malaysia Day declared as a national public holiday – why Sabahans expect Najib to come to Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan on the occasion of Malaysia Day to announce concrete measures how the Barisan Nasional Federal Government proposes to begin to address and resolve their 47-year-old grievances, frustrations and disaffections at not being given fair and proper treatment under the Malaysian sun.

For a start, how does Najib propose to fully implement the Twenty-Point Agreement which was the “magna carta” for Sabah in 1963 to join hands with Sarawak, Malaya and Singapore to establish the new nation and federation of Malaysia.

Yesterday, the Sabah press carried headlines like “Sabahans losing patience over 20 Points – Maijol”, quoting United Pasokmomogun Kadazan Dusun Murut Organisation (UPKO) vice president Senator Datuk Maijol Mahap declaring that “Sabahans are fed up with the Federal Government’s failure to fulfill what have been promised in the 20 Points Agreement”.

Maijol said: “Even after 47 years of being part of Malaysia, they are still waiting for the time when the 20 Points Agreement will be fully fulfilled.”

The minimum Sabahans had expected from Najib on his visit to Sabah to celebrate Malaysia Day as the first national public holiday is an acknowledgement and commitment by him as Prime Minister to fully implement the 20 Points Agreement.

This was also why at my arrival media conference in Kota Kinabalu yesterday morning and at the historic launching of Pakatan Rakyat Sabah last night, I had recommended to the Prime Minister the idea of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Twenty Points Agreement to assess their success, shortfalls and failures so that all the 20 Points can be fully implemented.

Unfortunately, my proposal has been ignored and the hopes of Sabahans and Sarawakians that their 47-year-old grievances and discontents will at last be addressed have been dashed with Najib coming to Sabah completely empty-handed.

Najib should make immediate amends for this serious omission by tabling the full implementation of the 20 Points Agreement as the first item of business at the Cabinet meeting next Wednesday, putting on the Cabinet agenda the proposal for the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the 20 Points Agreement.

One of the Twenty Points Agreement referred to a “proper Ministerial system in North Borneo”.

This commitment for a “proper Ministerial system” in the 1963 Twenty Points (the Great Charter of Sabah) had clearly been violated in the past 47 years or we would have seen a fair distribution of the state’s wealth and resources among Sabahans and not the abnormality firstly of Sabah which started as one of the richest states in Malaysia deteriorating to be one of the poorest states after 47 years; and secondly, the emergence of a coterie of new rich revolving around the Chief Minister or ex-Chief Ministers and ex-state ministers and their cronies while the overwhelming majority of Sabahans remain poor.

Let the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the 20 Points conduct a full and comprehensive investigation into nearly five decades of misrule, corruption and gross abuse of power in the state which negated and nullified the pledge of the Sabah Magna Carta for “a proper Ministerial system” in Sabah.

Another Twenty-Point pledge is Borneaisation, which stipulated: “Borneanisation of the public service should proceed as quickly as possible.”

What has the Barisan Nasional Federal Government to show for “Borneanisation” of the public service in Sabah after 47 years?
I understand that out of 59 Federal departments, only five are headed by Sabahans. Over 80 per cent of school heads in the education department in Sabah are filled by officers from Peninsular Malaysia, which is clearly against the spirit and letter of the Twenty-Points on Borneanisation after 47 years.

I call on Najib to seriously and immediately implement the Twenty-Point Agreement on Borneonisation by setting the target to fill at least half of 59 Federal departments in Sabah with Sabahans as heads before the next Malaysia Day on September 16, 2011.

Najib should table this target at the Cabinet meeting next Wednesday to demonstrate that his administration is serious in wanting to address the 47-year grievances, frustrations and discontents of Sabahans and Sarawakians – making the first Malaysia Day as a national public holiday really worthwhile and meaningful.

(Speech at Malam Pakatan Rakykat Beaufort organized by DAP Beaufort on Thursday, 16th September 2010 at 10 pm)

  1. #1 by dawsheng on Friday, 17 September 2010 - 4:05 pm

    Who can blame BN for all the abuses that resulted in near catastrophic consequences for Sabah & Sarawak? Since they have waited for three generations what is one more year, right?

  2. #2 by dagen on Friday, 17 September 2010 - 4:38 pm

    Come on. Sabah and Sarawak have been completely umno-ised. That means as long as the leaders of the two states are well off and happy the people of the states are expected to be happy too.

  3. #3 by k1980 on Friday, 17 September 2010 - 5:01 pm

    In terms of natural resources, Sabah & Sarawak are richer than Australia or Canada. Yet its people are so dirt-poor, just like the aborigines of Aussieland

  4. #4 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Friday, 17 September 2010 - 5:09 pm

    Sabahans should have just held banners to say: “Najib, go home!”

  5. #5 by Loh on Friday, 17 September 2010 - 5:28 pm

    Immigration was under Sabah control. How was it possible for project M to bring in more outsiders to Sabah to outnumber indigenous Sabahans? UMNO was clearly to blame. But more importantly when there were only 6,000 Malays in Sabah based on the 1960 census, or less than 1.5 percent of the state population, how is it possible that UMNO members in Sabah outnumber a combination of all others? UMNO members are Malays and how 6,000 Malays in 1960 turn out 2 million Malays in 2010? More seriously, these 2 million NEWMalays are enjoying handouts and are denying true natives of Sabah the recognition of their special position as specified in the constitution.

  6. #6 by yhsiew on Friday, 17 September 2010 - 5:42 pm

    Borneonisation = colonisation??

  7. #7 by dagen on Friday, 17 September 2010 - 5:48 pm

    Heck it. Sorry off topic. But just what is utusan up again with the suggestion that the suspects in that cosmetic datuk murder case is related to DAP?

    Hey those idiots in frogman suits should just stop what they are doing. Consult a geotechnical engineer first (I suggest, Dr C.T. Toh) to determine the possibility of drying up the crucial section of the river by creating a little by-pass to divert the river water. This is very commonly done when a contractor needs a dry place to work.

    Oh boy.

  8. #8 by dagen on Friday, 17 September 2010 - 6:46 pm

    Hmmm. Anyone saw jibby’s (and wife’s) televised raya greeting. It was truly horrible. He was so unsure and fat mama ros was so stern, wow I would have jumped out of my skin there and then, if I was present at the shooting studio.

    And what’s worse. Jib had his eyes affixed to somewhere, probably the flash cards used to remind him of those words he wanted to say. He should be looking at the camera! Didnt anyone present bring that to his attention. I mean most of us here must have been to a studio to have our photograph taken (you know for passport or IC). And remember what the photographer would do? Look up. Look down a bit. Look at the camera. No. This way a little. Look straight at the camera. At the camera. At the camera. At the camera. That was the message. And no one bothered to tell jib to just look at the camera!

    Jib bro, you are fried chicken!

  9. #9 by Loh on Friday, 17 September 2010 - 6:50 pm

    dagen :
    Hmmm. Anyone saw jibby’s (and wife’s) televised raya greeting. It was truly horrible. He was so unsure and fat mama ros was so stern, wow I would have jumped out of my skin there and then, if I was present at the shooting studio.
    And what’s worse. Jib had his eyes affixed to somewhere, probably the flash cards used to remind him of those words he wanted to say. He should be looking at the camera! Didnt anyone present bring that to his attention. I mean most of us here must have been to a studio to have our photograph taken (you know for passport or IC). And remember what the photographer would do? Look up. Look down a bit. Look at the camera. No. This way a little. Look straight at the camera. At the camera. At the camera. At the camera. That was the message. And no one bothered to tell jib to just look at the camera!
    Jib bro, you are fried chicken!

    That is the re-edited version, possibly by Moo-julin.

  10. #10 by Taxidriver on Friday, 17 September 2010 - 7:18 pm

    What? ”Completely empty-handed”? Not even 2 mandarin oranges for everybody? Lu bongkang!!!

  11. #11 by boh-liao on Friday, 17 September 2010 - 7:54 pm

    Mo kau chor ah, Sabahans n Sarawakians want 2 b treated as first-class citizens of M’sia
    Buka mata, compare now n 1963, just ask these simple Qs:
    Now got religious freedom or not?
    Can build churches freely ah?
    Can use Allah/God ah?
    BM bibles got or not?
    Name got changed from anak 2 bin or not?
    Welcome 2 1M’sia, feeling happy?

  12. #12 by Taxidriver on Friday, 17 September 2010 - 9:46 pm

    Bro Lim,

    You talk easy easy….like eating rice. No need capital. I tau implement also, but where got money? They all oredi take and put in Swiss Bank. You clever to say….you use your money lo

  13. #13 by johnnypok on Friday, 17 September 2010 - 9:51 pm

    Sabahans must demand for full rights to manage the states own resources, especially oil and gas …. keep 95% and give 5% to federal.

    All heads of department must be Sabahan.

    Kick out UMNO and banned any racist, like TDM and E-ali from entering the state.

  14. #14 by Loh on Saturday, 18 September 2010 - 3:42 pm

    The 20-point agreement is an agreement where the parties concerned should honour so that Sabah is obliged to remain in the country. Otherwise Sabah should just quit Malaysia, with oil half depleted and timber gone. But they can still sell sand to Singapore. It is time Sabah think about and prepares to quit Malaysia rather than waiting for Najib to honour the agreement.

    Najib is working within UMNO to present ‘balanced-view’ on NEM, he proposed and other oppose as scripted so that he would show ‘peace-loving’ Malaysians that it is still not time yet to implement NEM let alone remove NEP. Najib only wants the prospect of NEM kindle in the minds of non-UMNO voters hoping for change. That is the strategy to gain votes, and UMNO policies since Independence has concentrated in getting votes to remain in power. Of course it was Mamakthir who showed UMNOputras the highway to institutionalized robbery with impunity. To Najib it is clear that if he implements NEM then he has used up his only trump card in guiding the country to reform. When the country is free from racial tensions, he will have to compete with other political parties based on the issues of governance and leadership for which UMNO only have 53 years of baggage. Thus Najib still wants to rely on race, religion and more importantly the convenience NEP offers UMNO the bottomless war chest.

    Najib declares that 1Malaysia is ‘work in progress’. It is not even pregnancy where one can expect a baby. Work in progress is only input put in place and that alone could not produce any product, or it might produce a failed product.

You must be logged in to post a comment.