The writer, Dr Faisal S Hazis, is missing the point when writing that “Borneo Agenda” should be replaced by “People Agenda”. Surely it is pretty obvious that a “Borneo Agenda” is one for the people of Sabah and Sarawak who largely have been marginalised since Malaysia came into being in 1963.
Behind the Borneo Agenda is an acknowledgement of the fact that either of the political divides, BN or PR, being Malaya-based, will never be able to strike a bargain to improve the deterioting situations in Sabah and Sarawak. Why, one may ask? The answer to that question is simple. Malaya has 165 out of the total of 222 Parliamentary Seats in Malaysian Parliament. Sabah and Sarawak have the remaining 57 seats. Of the number of seats for Sabah, one is for Labuan that has become a Federal Territory. Other than that there are eleven (11) State Legislatures, one each for the eleven (11) States in Malaya. All these huge numbers of MP and ADUN seats in Malaya unavoidably make the demand pull to any political parties based in Malaya.
The sheer huge number of parliamentarians from Malaya will make it impossible for any government in PUTRAJAYA to focus attention at Sabah and Sarawak. At most a game of lip-service otherwise empty promises is, and will remain the modus operandi, and mostly directed at winning votes in the two states for additional seats to strengthen their numbers in Parliament only.
Stressing on this point the writer has correctly pointed to the small amount of monies allocated to the two Borneo States in the last 5 Development Plans. Such disproportionate allocations given the bigger need for more infrastrutural development in Sarawak and Sabah of which their combined sizes almost double the size of Malaya, in some certain instances, are even less than what are provided for each of the eleven (11) states in Malaya. Hence the good international standard multiple lanes highways criss-crossing all the States in Malaya, not to mention the 2 bridges joining Penang to the mainland, and the twin towers (now added by the new 100 floors Merdeka Putra Towers being built). All these costing trillions RM over the years since Malaysia.
And just look at the Budget 2013 one can find instant answers to how Sarawak and Sabah are being marginalised. Indeed it must be mentioned here that putting figures in the budget is one thing, whether the allocation will be spent is yet another thing. And the latter has to be subjected to whether there is enough money to go around or not, and which matter is to be impinged upon by domestic and global economy. Yet what available money is in the kitty will have to be allocated based on which “demand pull” is the strongest and most immediate. This example is to be found in the BR1M-2 that is generally perceived as for finding favours with the voters in the forthcoming GE13. Out of the proposed amount to be spent on this, the fact that a total of 4.2 million families is targetted it is safe to say that more than 85% of that number of families are in Malaya. And it is obvious the intention behind this BR1M-2 is to target voters considered to be UMNO traditional supporters.
The other area worthy of highlight is the oil and gas resources extracted from the shores of Sabah and Sarawak since 1975 when then Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak accorded exclusive rights over them to Petronas i.e after Petronas Act 1975 was enacted by Parliament. Sabah and Sarawak are given a mere 5 percents out of the revenue from these resources. Beside that, there is a very small number, if any, of executives in high positions drawn from people of the two states. To add insult to injuries recently Tun Zaki was reported to have said that in order to bring in more peoples in Sarawak and Sabah to the Federal Civil Service the standard of entry qualification has to be reduced. From such comment by a very senior person within, and being a former Lord President of Malaysian Judiciary, can be mirrored the inner thinking of the Malaysian establishment. It can also explain the lack of Petronas high executives from Sabah and Sarawak. This state of affair is not only grossly unfair to the people of the two (2) states of Sabah and sarawak, it has reduced the two (2) states, producers of these resources, to be beggars irrespective such a small return is as provided in the agreement, Petronas Act 1975. This is on top of the consideration that Sabah and Sarawak are the other two (2) pillars out of three (3) including Malaya that had formed Malaysia, and upon the fact that there were the 20/18 points pre-Malaysia agreements by our forefathers. When recent the Pakatan made a Kuching Declaration, almost in line with the 7-points Borneo Agenda, it declared inter alia that a Pakatan-led PUTRA JAYA would give 20 percent to Sarawak and Sabah. In this is also manifested the arrogance which is further underscored by fear of a backlash in the form of rejection by voters in Malaya. Deep in the mind of these Malaya-based politicians, be it PKR, DAP and or PAS, their voters would ask them why give up on the golden-egg goose, and thereby their rejection. In this UMNO has not even offered any additional percentage, also for the same underscoring reasons.
In Borneo Agenda there is a promise of a change, a profound change by going back to the basics. Sabah and Sarawak made Malaysia possible with Malaya. With that change the people will change. Corruption and cronism will be removed. The wealth drawn of oil and gas and other resources will be for the benefit of people of the two states, and poverty will be addressed.
Patrick Anek Uren.