BATU Kitang assemblyman Lo Khere Chiang urged that a referendum be held to determine if Sarawakians want independence.
He said that Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad should “let Sarawak decide”.
Lo recalled that the prime minister said at the 73rd United Nations’ General Assembly in New York last year that Sabah and Sarawak did not want independence but autonomy.
“Sarawak is practically a colony of Malaya which has disregarded the wishes and intent of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63),” he said in his debate on the Supply (2020) Bill, 2019 yesterday.
“How else can we explain the selfish siphoning of RM15 billion in nett oil earnings and RM45 billion in gross gas earnings annually from Sarawak, for the development of Malaya with only five percent being returned to Sarawak?” he asked.
He added that the people are fully behind Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg in his intent to wrest control over the state’s oil and gas resources, and return the rights spelled out in MA63.
Lo also questioned whether DAP and the PH government were fully committed to returning education and healthcare autonomy to the state.
“Putrajaya rejected the offer from the state government for the repair of more than 1,000 dilapidated schools.
“Instead, they asked for RM350 million owed to the central government first.
He added that to-date, only RM100 million is going to dilapidated schools in Sarawak and questioned whether Sarawak was tricked to return RM350 million.
