Call it partnership instead of Borneo bloc, ex-Sabah CM says

Salleh Said Keruak said Sabah and Sarawak are partners in the federation and any cooperation between the two states must therefore be understood within such a framework.

And for that reason, he said, “partnership” is a more appropriate term than bloc, adding that the latter comes off as confrontational.

“Partnership reflects cooperation and shared responsibility within Malaysia.

“By moving together, Sabah and Sarawak can strengthen their bargaining position and continue to pursue key matters such as the implementation of items under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and fairer parliamentary representation,” Salleh, who was chief minister from 1994 to 1996, said in a Facebook post.

He was commenting on Sabah chief minister Hajiji Noor’s statement that there was no such thing as a “Borneo bloc”, as Sabah and Sarawak remain part of Malaysia.

Hajiji was responding to former law minister Zaid Ibrahim who had said that the proposal for a Borneo bloc was an example of “how smart Sabahans and Sarawakians continue to outwit and control Malaya”.

Zaid also accused Sabah and Sarawak of challenging federal laws and were claiming “30 items still outstanding from MA63”.

The idea of a Borneo bloc cropped up in 2018 following the exit of Sarawak’s ruling parties from Barisan Nasional, which saw a group of leaders from Sabah welcomed the idea on the basis that it would allow the two east Malaysian states to work together to push for rights under MA63 to be implemented.