SSRANZ president advocates Borneanisation to reclaim Sarawak’s rights, achieve true autonomy

Robert Pei

By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, July 4: Sabah Sarawak Rights Australia New Zealand (SSRANZ) president Robert Pei has emphasised that prioritising Borneanisation is essential to reclaim Sarawak’s rights and achieving true autonomy.

He asserted that achieving true autonomy involves undoing the colonial-like control imposed by Malaya, ensuring that Sarawak can govern its own affairs independently.

“Subject to Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) being valid, full autonomy or Borneanisation should be prioritised as was originally agreed in 1963.

“This includes de-Malayanisation of Sarawak’s government machinery, restoring full control over internal affairs, education, finances, and resources, and repealing all federal laws that infringe upon Sarawak’s MA63 rights,” he said in a press statement today.

Despite the Sarawak government’s efforts to address various development projects, Pei highlighted that it has yet to address fundamental MA63 terms such as Borneanisation and the repeal of unconstitutional laws affecting Sarawak’s rights.

“The push for autonomy appears to have grown stronger, partly due to underlying popular discontent over poverty, education, and development issues, and resentment over the exploitation of resources for Malaya’s benefit.

“The Sarawak government’s assertiveness is also a response to the revival of nationalist movements and social discontent,” he said.

Pei pointed out that there are still significant breaches of MA63 that challenge the credibility of both the federal and Sarawak governments in restoring Sarawak’s rights, in referring to a series of unconstitutional legislation that removed Sarawak-Sabah MA63 rights from 1965 to 2021, particularly the 1965 Singapore Separation Act, CSA1966, ACT 354, PDA74, and TSA2012.

“To fully restore those rights, all these laws must be repealed. Neither the federal government nor the Sarawak government are willing to do this, as it will create a huge crisis in Ketuanan Melayu (KM) hegemony of Malaya and possibly end the Madani government’s stay in power, and as well as challenging Gabungan Parti Sarawak’s (GPS) lopsided KM rule of Sarawak,” he said.

Envisioning a sufficiently autonomous Sarawak, Pei described a self-ruled state free from Malayan control of its internal affairs, resources, and finances, as well as the repeal of laws affecting MA63 rights.

“Autonomy was a foundational condition for the federation, meant to replace post-colonial administration with local governance.

“However, Borneanisation has been replaced by Malayanisation, effectively turning Sarawak into a colony under Malayan control.

“Achieving autonomy would mean reversing these trends, repealing unconstitutional laws, and allowing Sarawak to govern itself independently, similar to the original intent of MA63,” Pei remarked.

He further asserted that exit and independence might be the only routes for true self-determination for Sarawak, emphasising that international law does not prohibit secession and that Sarawak has the intrinsic right to leave the federation if desired. — DayakDaily