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 KOTA
KINABALU, April 14, 2017: The revelation in the Legislative assembly that
the Sabah Rights Review Committee has yet to complete its report is
another proof that the Sabah government lacks sincerity in truly pursuing
Sabah rights.
For instance, the Rights Review Committee chaired by a Cabinet minister
took three months to study a report by its Technical Committee. This
Review committee then invited political parties to give their views last
January. Another three months have passed and yet this Review Committee
has still not produced a single report even though it already had a report
from the Technical Committee.
This committee now has to send another report to the Sabah Cabinet, which,
if it agrees, will send yet another report to the “National Management and
Delivery Unit Committee”.
Were there not already TWO other federal committees tasked to handle the
same thing? One is the much publicised Committee Jointly chaired by
Federal Minister Nancy Shukri, a Sarawakian, with another federal Minister
Datuk Anifah Aman, a Sabahan. The other federal committee, which is
chaired by the Federal Attorney General, includes the Sabah and Sarawak
Attorneys General.
The report of the Committee chaired by Sabah Minister Datuk Teo Chee Kang
will be sent to the federal committee co-chaired by Datuk Anifah. It is to
be recalled that a team led Datuk Anifah had already submitted its
findings to the Sabah Government and the Prime Minister on the same matter
last year. Now the Sabah government will send a report to the Datuk
Anifah’s team which has previously submitted its report to the Sabah
government. This is called Merry Go Round ride popular with kids in a
circus.
If the Sabah government sincerely wants to engage the Sabah opposition
in regaining Sabah rights, the best thing is to immediately dissolve the
Sabah Legislative Assembly to pave the way for Sabah elections, separate
from federal elections, so that Sabah rights and Sabah issues will take
centre stage. Let the Sabahans decide on how and which political coalition
shall represent Sabahans in the struggle to attain full autonomy for Sabah.
After all, the Legislative Assembly has completed its order of business
and there is no other legislative agenda left.
By Yong Teck Lee, SAPP
President
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