KOTA KINABALU: Dr Jeffrey Kitingan is saying that a thorough analysis of secret British documents, de-classified after more than 30 years, would ultimately reveal a hidden agenda against the Borneo Territories and an international conspiracy to dupe Sabah and Sarawak in the formation of Malaysia.
The Bingkor State lawmaker suggested that the hidden agenda was to handover the Borneo Territories to become States in the Federation of Malaya.
“This was cunningly done in Article 1 of MA63 while the Proclamation of Malaysia unequivocally stated that Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore were to be federated with the Federation of Malaya,” he said in a statement Friday.
“While Britain and Malaya openly agreed and promised that the Federation would create a new nation embracing the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sabah (North Borneo then) and Sarawak, ultimately Sabah and Sarawak would be mere States.”
Dr Jeffrey who is also president of Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR), said the conspiracy also included the United States of America while the United Nations were implicated, as the UN party did not actually report facts.
“When the UN team were in Sarawak, they were met with numerous demonstrations, protests and objections including “Sarawak Want Independence Not Malaysia” but, unsurprisingly, to produce the “right results”, the contrary was concluded by the UN team saying that the Sarawakians agreed to Malaysia,” Dr Jeffrey charged.
The Oxford Skyline
“This is shown in the telegram dated 9th August 1963 from the Office of the British Secretary of State for the Colonies which showed that the Americans were assured that the UN assessment team sent to the Borneo Territories were hand-picked to produce the “right” results from the point of view of the British.”
Dr Jeffrey said he was forced to issue the statement in response to requests for his comments following the disclosure by the Sarawak Chief Minister (Abang Johari Openg) that his legal team had uncovered “never seen before” documents in London.
The same statement suggested that the Sarawak legal team would need months to unravel all the secret British documents that they have uncovered during their working visit to London to study and look into the historical documents that led to the formation of Malaysia and the rights of Sarawak in Malaysia.
“Some of these documents which the Sarawak team had not seen before are probably the secret documents kept by the British documents from the 1960s and de-classified after more than 30 years,” Dr Jeffrey also said.
“The documents they were referring to included secret documents, minutes of meetings, position papers, opinions, objectives, correspondences, telegrams and files relating to the formation of Malaysia.
“They were kept out of reach of ordinary Malaysians until they were de-classified and now accessible at the Archives in London and Oxford. However, they are nothing new to the Sabah rights activists who had “discovered” them after their de-classification.”
The Malaysian proclamation being read out by the late Tun Fuad Stephens at ‘Merdeka Padang’ Kota Kinabalu on 16 September 1963. Also present was the late Tun Mustapha Harun, Sabah’s first Head of State. – Internet photo
According to the opposition politician, many of the activists especially those under the United Borneo Front (UBF) had initiated their dissemination through their Borneo Tea Parties (BTPs) to highlight Sabah and Sarawak Rights in Malaysia since 2010.
“Even I have seen them when I was in London several years ago while further research into Sabah rights and the formation of Malaysia,” added Dr. Jeffrey.
The documents, he said, covered more than 5,000 documents and more than 20 files, meticulously kept by the British government, and well-kept, properly documented and preserved by the British Archives in Kew Gardens, London.
It would take the Sarawak team months to go through and study the documents as a 1-week visit in London would have been insufficient to pore through the documents other than to gather and get copies of the documents.
As rightly pointed out by the then President of Indonesia (Sukarno), in the formation of Malaysia, colonial status of Sabah and Sarawak would not change and the only change would be the transfer of the colonial office from London to Kuala Lumpur.
An undated photo. The Malaysia Agreement was signed by (from second left) Dato Abang Haji Openg, Tun Jugah, Dato Bandar Abang Mustapa, and P.E.H. Pike (not pictured) in London on July 12, 1963. – Photo credit Borneo Post
According to the STAR chief’s statement, the Federation of Malaya took advantage of the naivety of the Borneo leaders while eyeing the rich resources of Sabah and Sarawak.
“It resulted in the unconstitutional taking over of their oil and gas resources to fund the development of Malaya and treated as colonies of Malaya,” he charged.
“The rape and pillage of Sabah and Sarawak were complete with the 1975/76 vesting of their oil and gas and the downgrading to be the 12th and 13th States of Malaya with effect from 27 August 1976.
“After 54 long years, Sabahans and Sarawakians have now awoken to demand for their rights and rightful place as equal partners in the Federation of Malaysia and undo the takeover of Sabah and Sarawak as the 12th and 13th States of Malaya.
“The ball is now at the feet of the Federal government and the Malayan leaders.”
Dr Jeffrey also pointed out that Lord Cobbold, (Chairman of the Cobbold Commission) warned that “If any idea was to take root that Malaysia would involve a ‘take over’ of the Borneo territories by the Federation of Malaya and the submersion of the individualities of North Borneo and Sarawak, Malaysia would not, in my judgment, be generally acceptable or successful.”
“The warning was added the warning from Sir William Goode, the last British Governor of North Borneo who warned “Tunku must avoid taking over the Borneo territories as colonies. Any impression of being transferred as colonies will provoke a “merdeka” (independence) movement against Kuala Lumpur, potentially irresistible.”
Source: Borneo Today
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