ONCE more, I peruse the content of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) manifesto. One that catches my attention is Thrust 2 – preserving Sarawak’s rights within the Federation of Malaysia in accordance with MA63, the Inter-Governmental Report, the Sarawak Constitution and the Federal Constitution.
Before elaborating further on this topic, three fundamental issues must be answered, namely, what is MA63, why is it important to the people of Sarawak, and what measures leaders (particularly GPS) must take following the GE15.
MA63 is a complex document with numerous components. It is the cornerstone of all accords that led directly to Malaysia’s creation.
It was explicitly stated that the governments of the United Kingdom (Great Britain and Northern Ireland), the Federation of Malaya and Singapore, Sabah (previously known as North Borneo) and Sarawak accepted the terms of the agreement governing the formation of Malaysia.
The formation of Malaysia included Malaya and Singapore, Sabah (North Borneo) and Sarawak at that time. It meant that Federation of Malaya (after the withdrawal of Singapore), Sabah and Sarawak would carry out legislative (legislative) and executive (administrative) tasks as well as any other actions specified by the Inter-Governmental Committee.
The MA63 contains provisions on the constitutional protections and unique privileges accorded to Sabah and Sarawak in relation to their membership in the federation. This refers to the political statement “to restore Sabah and Sarawak’s status based on MA63.”
GPS, a coalition of four local parties in Sarawak, is fighting to restore and preserve the rights and privileges of Sarawak under MA63, which have been eroded intentionally or unintentionally, for the dignity of its people.
The existence of legal stipulations indicated in the agreement has given Sarawak (and also Sabah) the right to autonomy, which is not shared by the other states in the Federation of Malaysia.
GPS is fighting for the privileges by using MA63 as a weapon to legitimate these demands for financial allocations and expanded jurisdiction.
For those of us who are not proficient in legal terminology and from the perspective of the law itself, it is indeed very difficult to comprehend this fight.
Hopefully, the five main pillars and 25 thrusts with 215 commitments outlined in its manifesto will help voters understand better GPS’ fight to restore Sarawak’s rights and its MA63 rights.
So, what is the next step that must be taken following GPS’ victory in GE15?
As a local political party based in Sarawak, GPS recognises the history and goals of the founding spirit of Malaysia.
In this 15th general election, Sarawakians must ensure GPS wins big so that it can implement what it promises in its manifesto and have a bigger voice in parliament to fight for the restoration of MA63 rights and Sarawak rights.
** Dr Nur Aida Kipli (PhD) is a senior lecturer at Universiti Teknologi MARA, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak.
The views expressed here are those of the analyst and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
