KUCHING: It is commendable that Sarawak upholds its cardinal rule until today and beyond such as freedom of expression and self-government.
This was emphasised by Sarawak Patriots Association (SPA) chairman Datuk Lau Pang Heng on behalf of the organisation in conjunction with the Sarawak Day celebration today.
He stated, “Two of the cardinal rule’s preamble to the Sarawak Constitution, 1941 stated that: (5) the freedom of expression both in speech and in writing shall be permitted, encouraged and that everyone shall be entitled to worship as he pleases.
“This is freedom of belief and religious as well as sharing whatever thoughts we have in our mind. This is commendable that Sarawak upholds this cardinal rule until today and beyond.”
Lau quoted another cardinal rule’s preamble to the Sarawak Constitution 1941: “(8) that the goal of self-government shall always be kept in mind, that the people of Sarawak shall be entrusted in the course with the governance of themselves, and the continuous efforts shall be made to hasten the reaching of this goal by educating them in the obligations, that responsibilities and the privileges of citizenship.”
“Since July 22, 1963, Sarawak has been granted self-rule by the British government. And on September 16, 1963, Sarawak partnered with Sabah, Malaya and Singapore to form Malaysia. The most important thing is that the Sarawak government is run by Sarawakians themselves and not from outside Sarawak,” he continued.
However, SPA felt that those rights and privileges have been taken by the federal government before, and demand that they shall be returned to Sarawak soon.
Lau reiterated that the federal government should share funds that rightfully belong to Sarawak as per Pakatan Harapan (PH)’s 14th general election (GE14) manifesto Promise Number 40.
“In Promise Number 41, the federal government will pay Sarawak 20 per cent of the oil royalties collected while in Promise Number 42, to create more employment opportunities for Sarawak youths and Promise Number 44, to improve the quality of education and healthcare services in Sarawak.
“Sarawakians cannot retire until we have witnessed the return of Sarawak privileges and rights,” he added.
“History needs to be re-written so that students will learn the history of Sarawak, the formation of Malaysia, the constitution of our nation and Sarawak, democracy and voting privileges. This is particularly needed as the voting age in Malaysia has been lowered to 18 years old as per the recent parliament meeting.
“SPA fully supports the Sarawak government’s vision to implement digital economy. This is the right track for Sarawak’s future and SPA calls upon all Sarawakians to support the government’s initiatives,” he elaborated.
SPA members are very happy to note that Sarawakians are living in harmony, peace and stability as there is no racial, religious issues among Sarawakians.
“We eat, we celebrate, we grow up together, we do business and compete in a very friendly climate and we live in happiness and harmony. This is the blessings from God.
“We pray that Sarawak will be able to continue to enjoy racial and religious harmony in the coming years and that the economy shall improve, business will advance and every Sarawakian will be able to prosper together in this 21st century,” he concluded.
