The status of Sabah and Sarawak formed a key focus of Pakatan Rakyat (PR)’s formal declaration during the coalition’s second national convention here today.
The declaration, which is to be ratified by the three party leaders – Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)’s de facto head, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng – included a commitment by the opposition coalition to restore guarantees historically accorded to Sabah and Sarawak when they joined Malaya to form Malaysia in 1963.
The PR now plans to work on a campaign to seek signatures to support a memorandum for a bi-partisan ‘Democracy Restoration Act’ whose emphasis includes improving the status of the two Borneo states.
Lembah Pantai MP and PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar, Rasah MP and DAP youth chief Anthony Loke Siew Fook and Kuala Selangor MP Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad from PAS jointly launched the campaign during a lunch break at convention held at Dewan Millennium in Kepala Batas.
The act would, among other things, also seek to annul the four proclamations of Emergency the country has made since Independence.
DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang said the proclamations have never been rescinded despite conditions having changed in the country.
“A responsible government would have annulled these long ago,” he told a press conference at the convention.
The four proclamations were made for the 1964 confrontation with Indonesia, the 1966 crisis in Sarawak, the May 13 riots in 1969 and the Kelantan state crisis in 1979.
The need for the federal government to honour the respective agreements made with the north Borneo states were underscored by DAP’s Sabah delegate Dr Edwin Bosi and Sarawak delegate Violet Yong Wui Wui.
Bosi particularly pointed to the influx of some 1.5 million illegal immigrants into Sabah, many of whom he said have been issued with identity cards.
The PR also presented its 10 programmes it would initiate during the first hundred days if it assumes power of the federal government, including setting up a Royal Commission to resolve illegal immigrants and citizens in Sabah.
Another “100-day step” the PR has committed to perform is to increase the oil royalty for Sabah, Sarawak, Terengganu and Kelantan to 20%.
The remaining eight steps are:
> to reform key government institutions such as the Elections Commission, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, the Attorney-General’s chambers and the Police;
> abolish the Internal Security Act
> direct Khazanah Nasional, Employees Provident Fund and other government-owned entities that hold road concessions to consolidate their assets so to remove toll;
> eradicate subsidies to private parties;
> recognise roles of civil servants and review their pay structures, starting with an increase of teachers’ pay by RM500
> remove private water concessions and return water management to the government;
> provide free wi-fi for all urban and semi-urban areas; and
> abolish Felda Plantations scheme, by opening up plantations now under the body to second and third generation settlers there.
The PR convention was attended by some 2000 delegates and party leaders from PAS, PKR and DAP who were greeted by a backdrop on the stage that gave unusual prominence to Kadazan and Iban languages.
The PR’s slogan for the convention ‘Change Now, Save Malaysia’ was featured in the two languages as well as in Malay, placed above translations in Tamil and Chinese
Anwar to stay on as Opposition Leader
PAS, DAP and PKR have agreed to keep Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as the Parliamentary Opposition Leader despite the PKR de facto leader’s suspension for six months from Parliament.
PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said the decision was mutually made although DAP’s MPs will now outnumber PKR’s representatives when parliament reconvenes next March.
Hadi stressed in his speech during the Pakatan Rakyat’s convention at Kepala Batas here that Anwar would still be the PR’s choice to lead the coalition into the next general elections.
Speaking at a press conference earlier, he also stressed that PR leaders will wait for a formal announcement of the next General Elections before disclosing the allocation of seats among the three PR parties.
He said PKR, PAS and DAP would decide on the matter through mutual discussion and dialogue.
“No matter when they (federal government) decide to hold it, I am challenging the Barisan Nasional to provide a fair platform by not misusing the media and government channels,” he said.
On the state by-election in Tenang, Anwar announced that Pakatan leaders have decided that PAS would contest the state seat. He added that a meeting will be held soon to choose a candidate.
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng added that there were indications that the next elections may only be held for Parliamentary seats and the Sarawak state seats.
“All options are open,” Lim said. “That’s why we don’t want to give anything away at this stage.”
Meanwhile, Lim also denied allegations by a vernacular newspaper that DAP provided information to Singapore on PKR advisor Anwar’s sodomy case to contribute to the island-nation’s impression on the issue as recently revealed through Wikilieaks.
Lim said the information on Wikileaks was derived from diplomatic cables at a time when DAP was not in power in Penang.
“We did not have any contacts and connections to Singapore at that time as we were not in power then,” he said at a press conference at the PR convention.
Meanwhile, PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said the Pakatan Rakyat is as strong as ever and denied all talks of internal problems and splits within the coalition. — theSun
