Review appointment process for Sarawak Governor, says NGO rep

Peter John Jaban (file photo)

KUCHING, Jan 23: Sarawak Association for People’s Aspirations (SAPA) publicity chief Peter John Jaban has called for a review in the appointment process for the Sarawak Governor.

He said Sarawak, Penang, Melaka and Sabah are the only four states in Malaysia without a Sultan and remain unrepresented in the Council of Rulers.

Of these four, only Sarawak and Sabah are constituent partners of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

“The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (YDPA) does not appoint the Sultans of other states. These take their position according to the history and context of each individual state.

“Sarawak, as a signatory to the founding document of the nation, should have no less control over its Governor. In fact, it should have more,” he said in a statement today.

Peter John also claimed that the current appointment of Sarawak Governor is blatantly ignoring the convention that dates back to the formation of Malaysia in which the Governor is chosen from among illustrious Dayak candidates when the sitting Premier is a Malay and vice versa.

“Malaysia should be upholding its principles of Malaysia Madani under its unity government. Sarawak should be leading the way in its race relations. This is one of the bases for its continuing calls for greater autonomy.

“This is why we need to set a better example in transparency and in our representative processes. This was the context for the Malaysia Agreement and should be the context for the future of Sarawak,” he added. — DayakDaily