Proper identification of Sabah, Sarawak as partners will ensure equal wealth distribution

 By Olivia Miwil - October 11, 2021 @ 9:17pm

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan. - NSTP file pic

KOTA KINABALU: The proper identification of Sabah and Sarawak as partners in the Federation of Malaysia will result in better economic growth and more equitable distribution of development funds.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said the Federal Constitution should be amended to clearly identify the three partners in the federation.

He said such amendments would mean that the first paragraph of Article 1(2) of the Constitution should only mention Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak.

"It can list the states of Malaya, the five residencies of Sabah and the six divisions of Sarawak," he said in a statement after attending the second Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) working committee online meeting today.

Kitingan, who is also Keningau member of parliament, said the residency or division system was practised during colonial times when Sabah, then North Borneo, was divided into five residencies.

They were Tawau (also known as East Coast Residency), Sandakan, West Coast, Kudat and the Interior.

Each residency is then subdivided into smaller administrative units that include districts and villages.

Besides administrative issues, Kitingan also wanted a fairer representation of Sabah and Sarawak in parliament, even though the issue was not explicitly stated in the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report.

He added that in the beginning, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore accounted for approximately 35 per cent of the MPs in Parliament.

"Following Singapore's secession in 1965 and subsequent political manoeuvring in the 1970s and 1980s, Malaya's (Peninsular Malaysia's) parliamentary seats increased further.

"In the meantime, the number of parliamentary seats in Sabah and Sarawak barely increased to the point where the previously 65:35 ratio has now become 75:25.

"With such a paltry number, Malaya could easily pass any law they want with a two-thirds majority, even if opposed by Sabah and Sarawak MPs, " he said.

Kitigan stated that several other issues concerning the MA63 should be deliberated further, but he was hopeful that these two major issues would be addressed as soon as possible.