Umno young guns straining ties between Putrajaya and Sarawak, says James Masing

Sarawak's outspoken Land Development Minister, Tan Sri Dr James Masing, has accused young federal leaders, particularly those from Umno, of causing friction between Putrajaya and the state government.

He said their lack of understanding of the Malaysia Agreement and how the federation was formed, makes them think that they are the masters and leaders from Sarawak and Sabah should be subservient to them.

Without wanting to name names, Masing, a senior minister in Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud's Cabinet, said in state capital Kuching that these young Umno leaders should be humble enough “to pick up the history book and relearn the history of Malaysia”.

“They should be reminded of the understanding for the formation of Malaysia, the agreements that were signed, the position of Sarawak and Sabah in the federation and the special rights and autonomy we have.

“When they talk to us, they make themselves feel as if they are superior while we in Sarawak, are their coolies.

“Personally, I get irritated with those leaders who do not treat us from Sarawak as equal partners in the administration of this federation,” he said yesterday.

Masing also said he gets upset with Umno leaders asking him questions like: “Oh! When did you leave Malaysia?” when in Kuala Lumpur or Putrajaya to attend meetings.

“I told them I never left Malaysia. I only just flew in from Kuching. It maybe small talk but it showed their thinking.

“We in Sarawak and Sabah seemed to be like an appendix to West Malaysia."

“There are only four signatories to the formation of Malaysia – Malaya, representing the 11 Straits Settlements and Malay states, Singapore, Sarawak and Sabah (then known as British North Borneo).

“Not 11, 12 or 15 signatories. Only four. Sarawak and Sabah are regional entities of their own and we should be regarded and treated like one," he pointed out.

Masing said unless and until these young leaders understand all these historical facts and start respecting the agreement, there will always be friction between Putrajaya and the state particularly when federal policies do not take into account Sarawak and Sabah's special position.

Issues that are currently straining state-federal ties, Masing said, is the Home Ministry's decision to ban the use of the word "Allah" in Christian publications, a decision which the Court of Appeal upheld in a controversial ruling last month.

The decision had fanned the anger of the 1.6 million Christians in East Malaysia against Putrajaya as it was seen by people in the two states as breaching the very first point of the terms Sabah and Sarawak drew up when Malaysia was formed.

“How could they then say the ruling is applicable only in West Malaysia and not in East Malaysia? How could we have two sets of rule for one country?

“Then you get an Umno minister saying that if East Malaysians were to come to the peninsula, they have to respect the laws of the peninsula as West Malaysians are not used to Christians using Allah,” he said in reference to Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz who recently warned East Malaysian Christians that they cannot use the word in Peninsular Malaysia.

“That's arrogance."

Sarawak's autonomy over immigration, which places curbs and restrictions on people from the peninsula from coming into the state freely and to work, is another matter that has also been continually questioned by members of parliament.

Masing said BN leaders, whether they are from the peninsula, Sabah or Sarawak, “must discuss issues intelligently, with great sensitivity and as equal partners and not as boss and subordinate”.

“Arrogance must not come into the picture. There must be a spirit of understanding.

“If our federal leaders are not mindful of the Malaysian Agreement, then the fears voiced by one of our Malaysia founding fathers, Tun Jugah Barieng, might ring true,” Masing said.

Jugah, the paramount chief of the Ibans, voiced loudly his scepticism and doubts of sincerity on Sarawak's long-term position in Malaysia when he famously said: “Anang Malaysia sebaka tebu, manis di pohon, tawal dihujung” (Malaysia should not be like the sugar cane, sweet at the head and getting less sweet towards the end).

“That would be most unfortunate,” he added.

Masing said his criticism was not to demand a review of the Malaysia Agreement but a demand that federal leaders be reminded of the terms and agreements in the formation of Malaysia and start respecting them.

The friction, he noted, could jeopadise the chances of the Barisan Nasional (BN) in the coming state election. The mandate of the Sarawak government ends in 2016.

“I hope the federal leaders take this as a constructive criticism as I want the BN to administer this nation for years to come.”

Parliament last Wednesday rejected an emergency motion tabled by Darell Leiking (PKR - Penampang) for a special committee to review the 18 and 20-point agreements.

Deputy speaker Ismail Mohamed said although the motion is definite and of public interest, he still rejected it on the grounds it was not urgent. - November 17, 2013.

Source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/umno-young-guns-straining-ties-between-putrajaya-and-sarawak-says-james-mas

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Masing wants review on state’s position in Malaysian federation

KUCHING: Sarawak’s position in the Malaysian federation should be reviewed from the historical aspect, says Minister of Land Development Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing.

He said unless the issue was addressed urgently, the BN might have to fight an uphill battle in the next state election scheduled in 2016 and the parliamentary elections scheduled in 2018.

“Is Sarawak one of the 14 states or one of the four regions which signed the Malaysia Agreement.

“If the federal leaders cannot answer this question, the people of Sarawak will continue to be left out in terms of development funds,” Masing told The Borneo Post at his residence here yesterday.

On another issue, Masing who is also Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president was still sore about his party’s poor representation in the Federal Cabinet.

“I am a bit disappointed that parties apart from PBB have been neglected in terms of portfolios and in terms of appointment. And also not only in terms of numbers but the portfolios that is important to Sarawak and Sabah,” said Masing.

Currently PBB which won 14 seats in the last general election has four full ministers and two deputy ministers.

Masing said it would only be sensible that in the upcoming Federal Cabinet reshuffle, MPs from PRS and other BN component parties such as Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) should be included.

Currently, only PRS deputy president Datuk Joseph Entulu is in the Federal Cabinet as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.

The party’s other appointment was given to its vice-president Datuk Joseph Salang but he turned it down. Salang was subsequently appointed chairman of 1Malaysia Sarawak Advisory Council recently.

Masing also implied that if Malaysia Chinese Association (MCA) could not make up its mind whether to take up the slot of Transport Minister, it should be given to other BN component parties.

This he said was because MCA fared badly in the last 13th general election, winning just seven seats out of 37 seats it contested.

“PRS contested in six seats and we won all of them. To govern a country, it’s not just about how many seats you have (won out of the number of seats you contested) but also how your party has performed during elections,” he reiterated.

As such, Masing saw no reason why the slot of the Transport Minister could not be allocated to PRS. Currently, Transport Minister is being held by Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Tun Hussein, who is also the Minister of Defence.

Masing was commenting on Star’s Sabah chief Datuk Dr Jeffery Kitingan that both PRS and SPDP should be daring enough to ask for better representation in the Federal Cabinet as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had indicated that there would be a cabinet reshuffle after MCA’s annual general meeting next month.

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/11/16/masing-wants-review-on-states-position-in-malaysian-federation/#ixzz2ksGejlHB

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The Politics of "Cari Makan" in Sabah

Arnold Puyok

Sabah politicians have always been driven by what I call as the politics of ‘cari makan’. But before I go any further, let me first explain what the politics of ‘cari makan’ means.

For Sabah politicians, politics is not about understanding people’s problems and turning those problems into policy solutions. These are not in the Sabah politicians’ vocabulary. Politics for them is simply about finding the ways and means to get access to the state’s development resources - often, in order to gain monetary benefits quickly. So, becoming a politician in Sabah is one of the fastest ways to become rich - or an instant millionaire.

When news about a former opposition assemblyperson leaving his party came out, it was hardly news at all – at least for me. This is Sabah! Sabah politicians like to ‘jump’ to ‘cari makan’. The excuses given by the assemblyperson who used expressions such as “for the people”, “for development’s sake”, “loss of confidence”, etc, etc, are not new and have become a cliché in Sabah.

But to be fair to the assemblyperson, he may have a “strong” reason to leave his party. It is his democratic choice to decide his future political direction. It may be argued that his leaving the party was for the interest of his electorate whom he thought might be better served under a more resourceful and financially able party. So, if this is the case, the assemblyperson cannot be blamed. It is the system that forces him to leave his party.

In Malaysia, opposition leaders are often relegated to a second-class status even though they are voted by the rakyat to represent them. The system is seriously skewed in that only elected representatives from the ruling party have access to the state’s development resources to develop their constituencies. This puts the opposition parties in a disadvantageous position - without sufficient financial resources, it is rather difficult to serve the rakyat’s needs satisfactorily.

There is also a question about moral principles of elected representatives. The argument against defecting to another party is that the leader has betrayed the trust of people who voted for him under the party he represented. But it may be argued that voters’ voting preference might be influenced by the candidate’s popularity than by the party’s standing.

So, rather than questioning the moral integrity of the defecting leader, the main issue here is how to increase the accountability of elected representatives so that they will not use their political position to ‘cari makan’. I suggest a number of ways.

First, parties from both sides of the political divide must use the ‘bottom-up’ approach in selecting potential candidates to run in an election. The potential candidates must be vetted from the lowest level of representation such as the village to the highest level of representation in the party. The current practice of most political parties is to choose candidates who are closer to the centre of power instead of those who are closer to the electorates.

It is also important for the potential candidates to appear in a council-type debate. The ability to debate and to articulate issues of public interest is essential to increase the accountability of elected representatives. The final stage of this process is a vetting by an independent body within the party to choose the most suitable candidate to contest in an election. The process of selecting a candidate must be done early and not one or two days before the election.

Second, potential candidates must declare their assets publicly. Assets declaration by elected representatives is part and parcel of a functioning democratic society. By declaring their assets, elected representatives may be discouraged from using the public office to accumulate wealth or to involve in commercial activities in which they may have certain hidden interests. The role of elected representatives is to serve people and not to make money.

Drawing the line on political funding

Thirdly, a law must be enacted to prevent elected representatives from using their political position to expand the business interests of their allies, family members, or other parties with whom they may have certain vested interests with.

The law must also draw the line very clearly in respect to political donation, political funding, campaign programmes, and so on to ensure that elected representatives do no take advantage of those activities mentioned to serve their own personal interests. 

Fourthly, the status and prestige of the legislative assembly must be elevated. Assembly meetings should be conducted regularly, and not a one-day sitting as in the case of the recent Sabah assembly proceeding. Assembly debates should be live telecast so that the electorates can assess the performance of their representatives.

Proposed enactments should be pre-debated and previewed before they are brought to the assembly for deliberation.

All this while, most people do not have any idea about what is going on in the assembly. The general perception about assembly sittings is that they are boring, a waste of time, and do not affect the day-to-day life of public. Elected representatives have a duty to explain to the rakyat that the legislative is an important government institution as it is the ‘brain’ that determines the future of the country.

Fifthly, political parties must conduct an empowerment session or a capacity building programme to train their elected representatives.

Most of the elected representatives think their work is done after winning the election. Some spend more time at golf courses, at hotel lounges, and at karaoke outlets than in their constituencies to serve the rakyat.

Elected representatives must be trained how to debate, how to write and evaluate policies, and how to initiate grassroots-level programmes, among other things.

Finally, the government must set up a people’s tribunal as an avenue to lodge complaints against underperforming elected representatives. Most elected representatives regard themselves as “untouchable”, “semi-god”, and worse, a “boss”.

Through the people’s tribunal, elected representatives will be made accountable to the people they serve. It is also an avenue for people to speak up openly and critically about issues which their representatives fail to address satisfactorily.

It is important for elected representatives to have the moral courage to explain to people their every action - including to defect to other party or to become an independent - as in the case of the opposition assemblyperson earlier.

But what is more important is for people to be empowered so that they can hold their elected representatives accountable. People - especially Sabahans - have had enough of leaders who become elected representatives simply to ‘cari makan’. Elected representatives who merely want to ‘cari makan’ are an impediment to the country’s progress. People of all races and religions should stand up and say ‘no’ to this kind of leaders. 

Source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/246082

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