Political leaders differ with Tigabelas on 20 Points

KOTA KINABALU: Political leaders in the state do not exactly agree with former Sabah Archives director Datuk Datu Tigabelas Datu Zainal Abidin on the Twenty Points document.
Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, for instance, described the interpretation of the document by Datu Tigabelas as “too shallow” and “should not be taken as correct, and should be ignored”.
“We need a constitutional expert to interpret it and further there are people like Tan Sri Gani Gilong and Tan Sri Herman Luping who are still around and have first-hand knowledge about what the document was about,” the Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) president said.
“In my opinion the agreement has always been referred right from the beginning as the Malaysian Agreement which has rightly been so,” he said.
Assistant Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Jahid Jahim said the 20 Points is proof that our former leaders and forefathers through the referendum, namely the Cobbold Commission, only agreed to form Malaysia together with Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore with conditions that Sabah’s interests be safeguarded.
“Therefore, the 20 Points must be seen from its spirit, the message written between the lines, and the spirit shall prevail and respected by all as long as Malaysia exists,” he said.
“The younger generation wants to have a re-look, because they expect sovereignty of Malaysia intact without illegals moving freely, citizenship given only to those who deserve it, enforcement agencies must be seen to be serious in checking our borders to curb illegal entry, roads and highways must be felt as good as those in the peninsular, business, job and training opportunities seen to be fair and many others.
“In the federal system, it is OK for the state to keep asking for the betterment of the state and re-look whatever is necessary in accordance with time and situation,”said the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) Youth chief.
Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Seri Panglima Yong Teck Lee said many of the points in the memorandum were accepted by the Cobbold Commission which later entered the IGC Report as part of the Malaysia Agreement 1963.
“So, the 20 Points is part of the Malaysia Agreement although the contractual document is the Malaysia Agreement itself. Hence, 20 Points is still valid and relevant,” he said.
SAPP deputy president Amde Sidek said that legally there is a difference between memorandum and agreement but if a memorandum is meant to be an agreement at the same time, legally, he believes that there should not be a problem.
“But on the issue of Malaysia Agreement, regardless of how many points, lawyers and politicians alike at that time must have meant it as an agreement.
“The document meant to be a long lasting reference and to be observed, it is more than a memorandum of understanding-kind, but a reference point should there be dispute later, precisely which is happening today,” he said.
Putatan Member of Parliament Datuk Marcus Mojigoh said it was Datu Tigabelas’ right to share his view on the 20 Points.
“There are points he brought up are logical but some may be not exactly right … we have to look at it in a wider perspective, on the memorandum of conditions and not a virtual agreement.
“Legally correct, it was our conditions and it was agreed at the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC). Of course the way the 20 Points were loosely worded, if it could have been properly and legally worded, it would have been different,” Mojigoh said.
“But whatever and however you look at it… we still call it the 20 Points agreement. That we have to respect and honour that document as legal instrument for Sabah’s participation in the formation of a nation called Malaysia.
“Politically it is not wrong to raise issues over what apparently have not been fulfilled. As I see it, probably most of what are enshrined in the agreement are being fulfilled.
“May be some are overtaken by events or may be some voluntarily surrendered by us during those times, especially on education matters and the use of official language.
“I agree we cannot make a U-turn but things that concern the Sabahans are those perennial issues, such as the cost of essential goods, why some 30 per cent more expensive than in peninsular?” he said.
“There are many issues like the presence of illegal immigrants that the Sabahans want the central government to solve, and I think the root why the 20 Points is politicised is due to all the above.
“It is time to solve these problems and I believe the issue on the 20 Points will get diluted. The opposition will no longer have issues to raise,” he said.

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/06/13/political-leaders-differ-with-tigabelas-on-20-points/#ixzz1xeL7Ibg0