Sarawak, Sabah should reject one-third Senate seats proposal, says analyst

Prof James Chin (file pic)

By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, Sept 30: A group of non-governmental organisations’ (NGOs) proposal for the Borneo States to be given more than one-third of seats in the Dewan Negara should be rejected, says political analyst Prof James Chin.

The Asian Studies professor at the University of Tasmania said the proposition failed to understand and address the fundamental issues where Sabah and Sarawak are requesting a historical correction to the mistake made in 1965 following Singapore’s exit from the federation of Malaysia.

“When Malaysia was established in 1963, North Borneo (Sabah), Sarawak, and Singapore received more than 34 per cent of the seats in the Dewan Rakyat. This was an important ‘safeguard’ requested by North Borneo (Sabah), Sarawak, and Singapore.

“When Singapore left the federation in 1965, Malayan officials should have followed the original ratio and redistributed the Singapore seats to Sabah and Sarawak. As a result, we are requesting a correction for a historical error,” he said in a statement today.

Chin further said the Dewan Negara lacks political legitimacy as its members are appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and State Legislative Assemblies (DUNs) rather than being directly elected by the people.

“You cannot expect a non-elected chamber to have the authority to speak out for Sabah and Sarawak with legitimacy.

“If the Dewan Negara were powerful, Singapore, North Borneo, and Sarawak leaders would have requested a third of the Dewan Negara seats back in 1963.

“The fact that they wanted one-third of the seats in Dewan Rakyat indicates that they knew where power lay,” he added.

He also mentioned that the Malayan NGOs may want to reform the electoral system in Malaya, but they should do so without harming the interests of Sabah and Sarawak.

“Their push for more equalisation of the vote in Malaya should not include Sabah and Sarawak as it is a political problem in Malaya between the Malays and non-Malays. It has nothing to do with Sabah and Sarawak.

“We urge all Sarawakians and Sabahans to unite on this issue and reject the suggestions made by the NGOs comprised of Rise of Social Efforts (Sarawak ROSE), Coalition for Clean and Free Elections (Bersih), ENGAGE, and Tindak Malaysia. They do not have the best interest of Sabah and Sarawak,” he stressed.

Chin’s call to reject the proposal was also backed by 11 NGOs from Sabah and Sarawak, namely Sarawak Association for Peoples’ Aspiration (SAPA), Dayak International Organisation (DIO), MOPOT – Moningolig Pogun Tokou (Defenders of Ancestral Lands Sabah), Gindol Initiative for Civil Society Borneo, Pertubuhan Kebajikan Rumpun Dayak Sabah (PKRDS), Gabungan orang Asal Sarawak (GOASS), Persatuan Etnik Dayak Asal Sarawak (PEDAS), Sarawak Institute of International Affairs (SIPA), Sabah Action Body Advocating Rights (SABAR), Sabah Entitlement & Equity Now (SEEN), and Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA). — DayakDaily