KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 — Sabahans do not really bear ill will towards their countrymen in peninsular Malaysia but are just furious at having their rights being denied for decades ever since Malaysia’s founding, a Parti Warisan (Warisan) leader said.
Dr Rajiv Bhanot, the party’s chief coordinator for peninsular Malaysia, added that the frustrations were centred on the lack of developments and lower quality of living in the north Borneo territory compared to west Malaysia.
“Being a Malaysian, if you take a look at the resources that Sabah and Sarawak are contributing to the country, and then you look at the quality of living of these Sabahans and the Sarawakians, I don't think there is an anti-peninsula or a hatred towards anyone from the peninsula coming from there.
“But all the Sabahans are demanding is some form of justice, and I think some form of there being the ability to deliver what's been promised,” he told Malay Mail in a recent interview, pointing to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) as an example of unfulfilled promises.
Originally founded to fight for Sabah rights ahead of the 2018 general election, the party once known as Parti Warisan Sabah has since amended its party constitution, dropping the state from its name to broaden its appeal as it rebranded itself to compete on a national level in the coming 15th general election.
Dr Rajiv was asked how Warisan would navigate the perception of Malaysians on this side of the South China Sea towards his party that is seen to be anti-peninsula.
The sentiment seemed to be gaining traction some years back to the point certain Sabah politicians, pressuring for autonomy, claimed polls showed a majority of the people there were in favour of secession. A similar sentiment was also expressed in Sarawak.
In 2019, this prompted then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to express his disapproval towards the use of the slogans “Sabah for Sabahans” and “Sarawak for Sarawakians” as it did not bode well for Malaysian unity.
“You see, the Sabahans need a Sabah-centric party to fight for the rights of the Sabahans. If you go back down to some of the policies we talked about, MA63 for example, as a west Malaysian, I don't think there is anything wrong with the Sabahans and Sarawakians wanting what is rightfully theirs.
“We're talking about spending billions of ringgit for the 5G rollout over here. But there, we have school students having to climb up onto trees! That's the reality of how things are, and that is where the imbalance is at the moment now.
“I think fairness is not asking for too much,” Dr Rajiv told Malay Mail.
He said the MA63 agreement was Malaysia’s founding document that laid out the partnership of Sabah, Sarawak, and the peninsula which was known by its colonial name Malaya at that time.
“And if you look back at what was promised in the MA63 agreement, I don't think that the Sabahans or the Sarawakians are demanding anything more than what was promised. So it's a matter of also giving back what has been promised to the Sabahans and Sarawakians.
“Also, what is wrong with a party that has governed Sabah wanting to move to peninsular Malaysia, bringing in the values that we feel would be able to heal and unite the people?” he asked.
“When we talk about unity, we are not just talking about trying to unite the different races in the country. We want to unite Sabah, Sarawak and peninsular Malaysia because we are all Malaysians at the end of the day,” he said.
GE15 an acid test
Dr Rajiv feels that the GE15 would also be an acid test for Warisan. Firstly, to see how well Malaysians in general receive the party that is spreading its wings from Borneo. And secondly, the response from the younger generation of Malaysians after the enforcement of the automatic voter registration for those aged 18 and above.
Dr Rajiv said that Undi18 is another important factor as to why Warisan would be vetting its potential election candidates strictly.
“Because the youths are not going to be silenced and this is where I think the selection of candidates, holding on to the right principles and speaking about creating positive messaging comes in. I don't think the youths are going to be attracted to politics of hate and fear-mongering,” he said.
He stressed that Warisan has also been a strong advocate of providing opportunities for capable young leaders, pointing to Sepanggar MP Datuk Azis Jamman who served as federal deputy home minister under the Pakatan Harapan government, as well as incumbent Kota Belud MP Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis, who is the former federal deputy minister of energy, science, technology, environment and climate change.
