LD intrusion can spawn conflicts of future: Yong KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) cautioned that Sabah is only beginning to feel the long-term consequences of last years Tanduo, Lahad Datu intrusion by Sulu terrorists. Its President Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee (pic) said other than taking its toll on the local economy, the Sulu intrusion had also stirred the imagination of many people across the border that Sabah belongs to them. Hence, they find some legitimacy, however misplaced, in their cross-border adventures into Sabah. It has the effects of spawning conflicts of the future, he said at the opening of SAPP Congress, Youth, Wanita, Mudanita and GKB conventions in Dewan Hakka, Tanjung Lipat, here, Saturday. In the aftermath of the Sulu intrusion, Malaysia has not shown overwhelming capability in comprehensively resolving this cross-border security threat, he said. Yong said the Sulu intrusion had triggered responses from other countries and also the United Nations Secretary-General himself, indicating some recognition of the, international character of the Sabah Malaysia-Sulu question. He said the Sulu intrusion had opened up public discourse on who does Sabah belong to, whether it is the Philippines, the Sulu Sultan, Malaysia or Brunei. According to Yong, the answer lies in international law, which is the right to self-determination of a people as recognised by the United Nations Charter. Therefore, based on this law, he said Sabah belongs only to the people of Sabah, and nobody else. It was for this reason that the United Nations had in 1962 commissioned the Cobbold Commission to ascertain the views of the peoples of North Borneo and Sarawak on the question of inclusion of North Borneo and Sarawak, whether it is a desirable aim in the interests of the peoples of North Borneo and Sarawak. The UN eventually accepted that the people of North Borneo (now Sabah), in their right to self-determination, agreed to form Malaysia. If Sabahans have had no right to self-determination, then there would be no UN Commission to ascertain the views of the people of Sabah, he said, adding that the UN did not need to ascertain the views of any other person or country. Only the people of North Borneo (Sabah) matter. Therefore, the fact of the UN Commission means only one thing. That is, that Sabah belongs to the people of Sabah. And therefore, the future and the fate of Sabah lies only in the hands of the Sabah people. This forms the basis of our struggle for Sabah autonomy within Malaysia, he said. Yong said it was important for the people to learn history in order to understand about the present. He said he had stated before that Sabahs modern history of 50 years was shaped by three defining events, namely the formation of Malaysia in 1963 that transferred Sabah sovereignty from London to Kuala Lumpur, the 1976 June 6 air crash that changed the course of Sabah history and the 1991 entry of Umno into Sabah that brought Malayan federal politics directly into Sabah. But, last year saw the Sulu intrusion marked another defining event that propelled Sabah into the international arena and reopened the issue of the ownership of Sabah and the Sabah Claim, which had no legal basis, he said. As a matter-of-fact, he said the Philippines had tried to revive the Sabah Claim in 2001 through the backdoor by attempting to intervene in the Sipadan/Ligitan islands case at the World Court between Malaysia and Indonesia. The Philippines case was thrown out by the World Court. As we all know, Malaysia eventually won the case against Indonesia in 2002, he said. However, Yong said that while the claim on Sabah by Sulu and the Philippines might not have legal basis, the issue of concern now was political and security. This is because the Philippines/Sulu claimants of Sabah see no need to abide by international law. In todays troubled global village, territorial claims and conflicts around the world have escalated. Many violent conflicts are borderless and cross-border. Law is the last thing on the minds of the parties to the armed conflicts, he said. The former Chief Minister said Malaysia was clearly now at a crossroads following self-inflicted political paralysis and suffering from economic malaise as well as an over dependence on petroleum. Malaysia has become a confused nation that is obsessed with racial and religious polemics. Malaysia is indeed at cross-, roads. Torn between secular and theocratic forces, Malaysia is agonising about its identity. Against this backdrop of Malaysia at crossroads, how should Sabah position itself so that Sabah can take its proper place as promised in the Malaysia Agreement? he asked. Yong said that after being in politics for 30 years, both in and out of government; he strongly believed that no Federal Government would willingly grant autonomy to Sabah. “Autonomy has to be fought for and won. Sabah autonomy is not charity to be handed out by the Federal elite. The Malayan elite is very uncomfortable being dependent on Borneo to survive. They will invent more placatory tactics to delay and frustrate Sabahans desire for Sabah autonomy. This we must be beware of, he said. Yong said a major task of SAPP and fraternal Sabah parties was to unite not only the parties in an electoral pact but also in uniting the people for a common purpose. We should also work with pro-Borneo activists and civil society in Malaya for a common cause to build a better Malaysia that recognises and respects Sabah autonomy, he said. In the aftermath of the 2008 electoral tsunami when Malayan parties lost their ability to form the federal government without Sabah and Sarawak, SAPP left the Barisan Nasional (BN) governing coalition to fight for Sabah autonomy. At the time, few people understood what autonomy meant. But more Sabahans are beginning to accept Sabah autonomy. We are partly helped by the resurgence of political movements around the world for self-determination. Both social and mainstream media have seen an upsurge of self-confidence among Borneo peoples. Our identity and self-awareness have been raised, said Yong, who was recently returned unopposed as president of SAPP for another term. •Earlier, Yong apologised to the delegates for SAPPs failure to win a single seat in last years general election but he shot down rumours that the party would close shop. They laughed as us for having been completely defeated in the last elections. Yes, we have lost. But, no, we shall not surrender. SAPP has not, is not and will not close shop. We fight on. “Yes, we accept defeat. As your President, I apologise for the failure of SAPP to win any seat in the last elections. I share your disappointment. I share the humiliation you face from those who take pleasure in mocking us. Some members who could not stand the cold have left the party. But you, delegates and members, have chosen to remain in SAPP because you can tough it out. As your President, I thank you. My pride in you gives me the remaining strength to continue leading this party, he said. 31/08/2014 Daily Express By Chris Maskilone
Posted on: Wed, 03 Sep 2014 04:10:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015