DAP Would Support Sarawak’s Fight For Its Rights And Powers That Were Eroded To Be Fully Restored Under The Federal Constitution.(e/c)

Speech By DAP Secretary-General And MP For Bagan Lim Guan Eng During The DAPSY National Conference In Kuala Lumpur On 3.12.2017.

DAP Would Support Sarawak’s Fight For Its Rights And Powers That Were Eroded To Be Fully Restored Under The Federal Constitution.

DAP would stand with our Sarawakian brothers and sisters by fully supporting its all-out fight for Sarawak’s rights and power that have been eroded over the years, to be fully restored under the Federal Constitution. I would also be willing to recommend that the Penang state government lend its support if required.

The fundamental principle of upholding the Federal Constitution is more important than scoring political points or political partisanship. BN has changed the character and identity of the Federal Constitution so many times, until it is unrecognizable from the 1957 Federal Constitution which gave birth to the nation. It is important we take back our Federal Constitution not only to Sarawak, but also to the rakyat so that our rights and powers have both meaning and substance.

Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun had claimed that,”Phase one of our discussion with Putrajaya involved the devolution of power, which has been implemented. The second phase involves Constitutional rights and we will take back what has been eroded.” Before talking about the second phase, it is up to Abang Johari to convince Sarawakians that the first phase has been implemented as he claimed.

Abang Johari would need to prove and set out in concrete terms, especially on whether oil royalties have been increased from 5% to 20%, and on the devolution of powers on education and health by the Federal government back to the Sarawak state government. Abang Johari had even cited the Oil Mining Ordinance as an example, where Sarawak has unlimited rights to extract oil within 12 nautical miles of its shoreline. If that is so, then why has Sarawak not being given the 20% oil royalties?

DAP disagrees with a Sabah UMNO leader, who with the strong support and approval from UMNO Federal leaders, had opposed and disagreed with Abang Johari. The Sabah UMNO leader had even said that he disagreed with Abang Johari 100 times and was ready to debate with him.

The Sabah UMNO leader made the shocking claim that there was no reason to claim that Sabah and Sarawak had equal status with Malaya, blaming “irresponsible voices out there” for saying that the rights of Sabahans and Sarawakians had been taken away. Clearly UMNO considers all Sabahans and Sarawakians who want to restore their rights as irresponsible voices out there.

Instead the Sabah UMNO leader arrogantly dismissed the claims of both Sabah and Sarawak, saying that that Sabah and Sarawak had the same rights as states in the peninsula. He even said that the relevant Constitutional documents in relation to the history of Malaysia’s formation, such as the 20-Point Memorandum (Sabah) and the Cobbold Commission Report, were not legally binding.

This Sabah UMNO leader’s attitude merely reflects the arrogance and bullying attitude of UMNO leaders who think that the people are stupid and ignorant, and that only UMNO leaders know best what it good for Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. It is this type of arrogance that the people of Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak should reject in the coming 14thGeneral elections.

Only by rejecting BN and UMNO, can Malaysians ensure that the people protects and preserves their constitutional rights and powers, but also that the government of the people, for the people and by the people can succeed in replacing a government of cronies and arrogant bullies.

LIM GUAN ENG

—-Mandarin —

民主行动党秘书长兼峇眼区国会议员林冠英于2017年12月3日在吉隆坡社青团代表大会上发表致词:

民主行动党将会支持砂拉越争取他们被侵蚀的权利及权力,在联邦宪法之下恢复他们的地位。

民主行动党将会支持砂拉越争取他们被侵蚀的权利及权力,在联邦宪法之下恢复他们的地位。若有需要,我也愿意建议槟州政府给力以示支持。

捍卫联邦宪法的基本原则比争取为政治加分或政党分岭更重要。国阵已经无数次改变了联邦宪法的本质和同一性,今天的宪法与1957年让这个国家诞生的联邦宪法相比已经面目全非。复原联邦宪法是非常重要的工作,不只是为了砂拉越,也是为了人民,好让我们的权利和权力都有实质的意义和内涵。

砂拉越首长拿督巴丁宜阿邦佐哈里说:“我们与布城第一阶段的谈判涉及权力下放,这已经在实行中。第二阶段涉及宪制权利,我们将拿回已经被侵蚀的权利。”在谈论第二阶段之前,阿邦佐哈里自己应该说服砂拉越人民,他所谓的第一阶段是否正如他所说,已经真正实行。

阿邦佐哈里需要拿出证据,制定具体条款,特别是石油税是否已经增加5%至20%,在教育与卫生方面的权利,由联邦政府下放给砂拉越州政府。阿邦佐哈里甚至引用石油采集法令,指出砂拉越对于12海里以内的海岸有无限制的采油权,那么为什么砂拉越还没有获得20%的石油税?

行动党不赞同一名沙巴巫统领袖反对阿邦佐哈里的做法,这名沙巴领袖拥有巫统联邦领袖的支持及认同。上述沙巴巫统领袖甚至说他100个不同意阿邦佐哈里,并准备与他辩论。

沙巴巫统领袖做出令人震惊的声明,他说沙巴和砂拉越没有理由要求与马来亚享有同等的地位,他还责怪“那些不负责任”的声音发表关于沙砂两州权益被剥夺的言论。很明显地,巫统认为所有要求主张将权利归还予沙砂两州的人民都是不负责任的声音。

上述沙巴巫统领袖不仅傲慢地否决了沙砂两州与马来半岛拥有同等权利的主张, 他还说那些与马来西亚成立的历史有关的宪制文件,比如说沙巴20点备忘录及《1963年柯波委员会(Cobbold Commission)报告书》,都不具有法律约束力。
沙巴巫统领袖的态度仅仅反映了巫统领袖傲慢及欺人太甚的态度,他们以为人民都是愚蠢及无知的,他们以为只有巫统领袖知道什么对马来西亚、沙巴和砂拉越是最好的。正是因为他们如此傲慢,马来西亚、沙巴、沙拉越人民都应该在第14届大选拒绝巫统。

唯有拒绝国阵与巫统,马来西亚人民才可以保障人民捍卫及维护他们宪赋权利与权力,也只有拥护“国为民有,国为民治,国为民享”的政府才能够成功取代充斥朋党与专横霸道的政府。

林冠英