Recently I watched a movie called “22 July” on Netflix. Nope. It’s not a movie about Sarawak’s Independence Day. In fact, “22 July” is the latest work by Paul Greengrass, a famous film director who sought to re-create the 2011 terrorist attack in Oslo, Norway.
On July 22, 2011 Anders Behring Breivik – a self-declared right wing extremist – planned to carry out two terrorist attacks in Oslo. The first one was the setting off of a bomb in a van near the Norwegian Prime Minister’s office which killed eight people. Breivik then proceeded to attack a summer camp on the island of Utøya organized by the Norwegian Labour Party for over 200 youths.
The film depicted Breivik reaching the island along with his loads of firearms. He started his “hunt” by killing the young campers without any hesitation. In one scene, he discovered some kids who were hiding indoor and told them not to come out as he was a policeman coming to protect them.
He then entered the room and killed everyone inside. By the time Breivik was apprehended by the authorities, he had already ended 69 lives with a smile on his face.
Throughout his trial, Breivik showed no remorse. Yet he was sentenced to life imprisonment in a cell that is comparable to a two-star hotel room in Norway.
Although the cold-blooded killer broke the hearts of Norwegians, particularly the parents of the 77 victims he massacred, he is currently being taken care of by the Norwegian government.
Last October, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong proposed to do away with the death penalty in Malaysia. The announcement immediately ignited heated debates as to the morality of death penalty in a civilised world.
Although some supported the idea of abolishing the death penalty, almost half of Malaysians are against the proposal according to a survey conducted by The Star Online.
Many think it is compassionate to reprieve death penalties against death row prisoners, but it is cruel to the families of their victims. However the Pakatan Harapan (PH) Cabinet continued to play deaf to public opinions.
Instead, all PH members of Parliament and ministers were reminded by the Law Minister that they must support the bill which will be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat early next year as the decision was made collectively in the Cabinet.
It is an eye-opener to witness how expedient the federal government can be in pushing for a new bill amid all the outcry from the families of murder victims and dissenting members of the public. Why the hurry to abolish the death penalty?
For a notion so indisputable like restoring Sarawak’s position as an equal partner of Malaya and Sabah in Malaysia in accordance with the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), it remains a promise yet to be fulfilled by the PH government with no definite deadline.
It was therefore disappointing and frustrating to read the official press statement released after the inaugural meeting of the Special Cabinet Steering Committee on MA63 which was chaired by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad himself on December 17. Granted that the committee will need sufficient time (several meetings) to sort out the rights of Sabah and Sarawak in matters such as finance; oil exploration; mining and gas; legislation; land and revenue from land, maritime, estuarine fishing and fisheries; labour; and state public services.
Nevertheless, restoring Sabah and Sarawak’s position as equal partners in the federation should not require an unduly lengthy period of time. In fact, the steering committee should have been able to reach a consensus on the matter during the first meeting last week!
Isn’t it clear enough from the MA63, Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) Report and the original texts of Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution that Sabah and Sarawak’s position in the Federation of Malaysia is one of equal partners?
Even the Prime Minister himself had on several occasions acknowledged Sabah and Sarawak’s equal-partner status in Malaysia.
What would frustrate the making of the final decision to restore Sabah and Sarawak’s position as equal partners in the federation by annulling the 1976 amendment (Act A354) to Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution in Dewan Rakyat’s next sitting?
It must be noted that Act A354 which turned Sabah and Sarawak into merely two of the 13 states in Malaysia was passed without obtaining the consent of both of them. The amendment is therefore unconstitutional and the PH government should move to get it annulled.
One strongly believes that if the PH government can decide swiftly to abolish the death penalty, there is no reason why Sarawak’s equal-partner status cannot be restored in the same manner.
