KUCHING: Should Sarawak and Sabah be given the post of deputy prime minister in the federal cabinet?
Assistant Vice Chancellor (Leadership and Development) of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), Professor Datuk Mohd Fadzil Abdul Rahman said there are still many who think the appointment should only be made from among peninsula leaders.
Many have forgotten the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) where Malaysia will not exist without cooperation among the three parties – Peninsula Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak, he said.
Therefore, he said, to strengthen the formation of Malaysia, it was time for such appointments from Sabah and Sarawak.
“The most important thing is that we do not have sentiments in all parties, whether Malaya, Sabah or Sarawak, do not have sentiments that are too centric to their respective regions or states.
“The most important thing is that if Sabah and Sarawak progress together with the federal government then Malaysia will progress and prosper.
“Don’t look too much at power, look at the progress of each state and region because it will help strengthen the economy and develop us as a nation so that all parties will feel their fate is protected,” said Mohd Fadzil.
He also stressed that Sarawak and Sabah are eligible for the post of DPM because of the important role of the two states in the formation of the Federation of Malaysia.
“To be fair and just, Malaysia was formed as a result of the Federation of Malaya with the territories of Sabah and Sarawak.
“Therefore, in terms of opportunities and equality, the opportunity should be given to representatives from Sabah and Sarawak as DPM to represent the Borneo zone,” he added.
He also felt that the appointment of DPMs from Sabah and Sarawak would enable continuity in terms of the administration of the two states being given special attention.
“Previously, Sabah and Sarawak were far left behind, so when we have a representative who has the position of deputy prime minister, the voice becomes stronger and at the same time it will also help strengthen Malaysia between Sabah, Sarawak and the Peninsula in terms of administration, “he said.
Mohd Fadzil said, the issue before was that the DPM should only be from among elected representatives from the Peninsula, but now the situation has changed and needs to be reviewed to give opportunities to Sabah and Sarawak.
“We don’t want it to be a case of only when there is political turmoil in the peninsula like now, then we think about the need to pay attention to Sabah and Sarawak just to get enough number of seats in parliament in order to form a government.
“When talking about equality, all parties should be aware and accept the fact that Malaysia’s name was formed on mutual consent between Sabah, Sarawak and the Peninsula,” he said.
He added, given that the consensus took place 59 years ago during the formation of Malaysia, it was time for the posts to be distributed so that the administrative powers are given fairly to represent their respective zones.
He said the rotation of the DPM post between Sabah and Sarawak was very appropriate so that whoever became the DPM could see the administrative issues related to Sabah and Sarawak, representing the Borneo Islands.
“For me, the rotation between Sabah and Sarawak for the post of DPM will actually help the federal government to look at affairs in Sabah and Sarawak more effectively,” he said.
According to Mohd Fadzil, although a department has been set up to look after the administrative affairs of Sabah and Sarawak, he thinks it is not enough at the departmental level.
“It is time for representatives from Sabah and Sarawak to be in the highest-ranking posts such as the DPM so that issues of budget distribution, MA63 agreement demands and so on are placed directly under the DPM’s jurisdiction to be brought to the cabinet for discussion, and so the power seems to be there. It will be more effective than the way we manage it at the moment,” he added.
According to Mohd Fadzil if, after getting the post of DPM, there are still issues, then Sabah and Sarawak can no longer blame other parties because there are already representatives appointed to look after the affairs of the two states.
