Rahman
KOTA KINABALU: Replacing the term ‘negeri’ Sabah to ‘wilayah’ Sabah will only be accepted by Sabahans if it is in line with the change in federal government’s policy in terms of its relationship with Sabah.
Otherwise, it is just a cosmetic change that does not benefit the people of Sabah, said Umno Tuaran chief Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan.
The former economy minister weighed in on the current issue of Sabah and Sarawak’s status to be changed from ‘negeri’ (state) to ‘wilayah’ (territory).
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Abdul Rahman in a Facebook posting on Friday said, “we know that many of the terms in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) are still not implemented. The reason given is that it is still in negotiations and the negotiations are time consuming.”
So while waiting for the outcome of the MA63 negotiations, there are many policies that can be implemented now to prove the sincerity of the federal and state governments to achieve balance and justice in the Federation of Malaysia, he said.
“I have three suggestions although I am sure there are many more suggestions. One, is One Country, One Price. Why is it that the rakyat in Sabah have to pay more for goods and services compared to Peninsular Malaysia when the average income of people in the state is much lower than in Peninsular Malaysia?
“How come the prices of goods and services in Peninsular Malaysia can be standardised even though there are shipping costs to distant states such as Kelantan and Perlis?
“If Sabah can share its oil and gas revenue with other states, why can’t the cost of living in Sabah be shared between the other states? Implement the one country, one price policy immediately,” said the Umno Supreme Council member.
Abdul Rahman’s second proposal involved addressing the issues brought about by sharing the state with illegal immigrants.
He pointed out that the illegal immigrant issue is a national problem, not just a state problem.
According to him the influx of illegal immigrants is a burden for Sabah. And as the state’s geographical position is close to the Philippines and Indonesia, Sabah has to bear the issue of illegal immigrants.
“Let’s be honest, the presence of illegal immigrants in Sabah is not just Sabah’s problem. It is a national problem. It is not fair that only the people of Sabah have to deal with social problems arising from the influx of illegal immigrants,” he said adding that the problem of illegal immigrants in Peninsular Malaysia was not as chronic as that in Sabah.
“Imagine in Sabah, its people have to share hospital and school services, race for subsidies such as rice subsidies, scramble for seats in public transport services and compete in business opportunities.
“In fact, we in Sabah share the services and time of the police who are supposed to take care of the safety and security of the rakyat in Sabah but now have to deal with all security issues related to illegal immigrants,” he lamented.
He pointed out that the rakyat in Sabah have, without their consent, become the frontliners who are faced with the problem of illegal immigrants.
At least the federal government should add more hospitals, schools and subsidies in Sabah, said Abdul Rahman who stressed that this will give justice to the people of Sabah who are facing the problem of illegal immgrants.
He stressed that the one district one hospital policy, for example, does not apply in Sabah.
“In foreign countries, their central governments give a larger social service development budget to the territories of their countries flooded with illegal immigrants compared to their unaffected territories.
“This is in line with the United Nations proposal to give justice to the territories of a country that are distressed and affected by the devastating problem of illegal immigrants, while people living in territories that do not face this problem enjoy a peaceful and secure life.
“That is the social justice that the Sabah government should demand from the federal government without waiting for the outcome of the MA63 negotiations,” he opined.
Abdul Rahman also suggested that the government increase the defence budget for Sabah and relocate more defence assets to the state.
“Currently, the security threat to the country is more real in Sabah than in the Peninsula. Every day the national border in Sabah is breached by not only illegal immigrants but also by smuggling activities.
“Provide more budget and defense assets at naval bases in Sepanggar, Sandakan and Semporna than naval bases in Lumut, Perak and in Tanjung Gelang, Pahang. Also increase the budget and place more defense assets at the air bases in Labuan than those given to the Butterworth and Subang air bases,” he said adding that the same goes for the budget and assets of the army in Lok Kawi and Kota Belud.
Abdul Rahman was of the opinion that the threat to national security (regarding illegal immigrants and smuggling) is more urgent in Sabah than the peninsula at the moment.
If in the future, the threat to national security is more real in the peninsula than Sabah, then the government can shift its focus to the peninsula again, he said.
“These three proposals do not have to wait for the outcome of the MA63 negotiations. If the state and federal governments are determined to equate Sabah and Sarawak with the Peninsula, do this first. InsyaAllah Malaysians in Sabah will appreciate it,” he said.