“IT IS IMPORTANT to
understand that the 20-Points are minimum conditions for Sabah agreeing to be
part of the Malaysia Project. And, as
pointed out by the former Archives Director, “it is a memorandum of conditions”
said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan in a statement issued today in response to the
various discussions on the subject.
The 20-Points, being a list
of conditions, submitted by the leaders of the five Sabah political parties
(UNKO, USNO, Pasok, DP, UP) are,
therefore an important milestone in the creation of Malaysia.
Without these conditions
being agreed and discussed one can conclude that there would have been no
Malaysia. It is that important!
Therefore, people, including
politicians and the former State Archives Director should not be quick and
shallow to dismiss the 20-Points Memorandum merely at its face value but what
they represent i.e. the desires and concerns of the British, the North Borneo
and Malaya.
The “weird” conditions
referred to by Datu Tigabelas are actually the results of earlier discussions
by all parties (British, Malaya and North Borneo) that led to the final
20-Points Memorandum document. Reference
can be made to the bundle “British documents” released recently.
The 20-Points are not the
only important valid documents in the formation of Malaysia.
Article 14 of the
Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report also states:
“14. In certain aspects the Committee agree that
the requirements of the Borneo States could appropriately be met by
undertakings or assurances to be given by the Government of the Federation of
Malaya rather than by Constitutional provisions and these are mentioned in the
appropriate sections of this Report. The
Committee agreed that the more important undertakings should be included in the
formal agreement and envisaged that the other undertakings and assurances might
be dealt with in exchanges of letters between the Governments concerned.”
The above quote from the IGC
Report clearly validates not just the 20-Points Memorandum but even “letters of
exchanges” as well as undertakings and assurances.
In addition to the
validation of the 20-Points by IGC Report, Article 8 of the Malaysia Agreement
also validates “assurances and undertakings” (some of which were verbal) as in
the assurance given by Tunku Abdul Rahman to Donald Stephens that “Sabah and
Sarawak will not become the 12th or 13th States of Malaya”.
Article 8 reads:
“The Governments of the
Federation of Malaya, North Borneo and Sarawak will take such legislative,
executive or other action as may be required to implement the assurances,
undertakings and recommendations contained in Chapter 3 of, and Annexes A and B
to, the Report of the Inter-Governmental Committee signed on 27th February,
1963, in so far as they are not implemented by express provision of the
Constitution of Malaysia.
While various personalities
have made significant opinions on the 20-Points, none have fully captured the
essence and the overall importance of the 20-Points.
It is important to view and
understand the significance of the 20-Points by connecting it as part of a
jig-saw-puzzle. Do not look at the
20-Points in isolation.
It is part of the big
Malaysia puzzle. If the 20-Points is
missing in the jig-saw puzzle, there is no solution to the puzzle – there is no
Malaysia!
If the 20 points were
useless and invalid, why would Mahathir had detained me for raising the issue
of the 20-Points 20 years ago?
perkara 20 adalah penting dalam pembentukan Malaysia, tanpa perkara tersebut Malaysia takkan wujud, jadi ia perlu dipertahankan.
ReplyDeleteThe Federal Government must fulfill the 20 points agreement because the 20 principles is what our leaders agreed on when forming Malaysia together with Malaya and Sarawak.
DeleteBerapa tahun sudah merdeka tapi 20 Perkara ni masih belum lagi dapat dipenuhi. Memang ada perkara2 yang sudah dimasukkan dalam perlembagaan tapi bukan semuanya.
ReplyDeletekerana itu perkara 20 harus kita perjuangkan.
DeleteBaru2 ni kenyataan Salleh tentang 20 Perkara telah disalah tafsir hingga mengundang banyak komen negatif terhadap beliau. Harap2 rakyat Sabah akan didedahkan kandungan sebenar 20 Perkara ni.
ReplyDeleteSalleh said the 20 points agreement issue will be given explanation, hopefully he will do so soon to stop the confusion his statement caused.
DeleteThe 20 points agreement is set up by our leaders to protect the Sabahans during Malaysia's formation.
ReplyDeleteTidak ada 20 perkara tidak ada malaysia. Ini bermaksud terbatalnya 20 perkara maka terbatalah Sabah bersama dengan Malaysia.
ReplyDelete20 points sentiasa valid dan relevant
DeleteJadi jangan asyik dipolitikkan isu 20 perkara ini.
ReplyDeleteNo 20 points no Malaysia..
ReplyDelete“ 20 Perkara Sabah” adalah 20 tuntutan yang telah dimasuk dan diserap ke dalam undang-undang perlembagaan Negara Malaysia sekarang. Namun perkara ini tidak dapat dilihat dengan mata kasar, jika kita mengkaji perundangan perlembagaan Malaysia sekarang, “20 Perkara Sabah” memang telah dilaksanakan didalam perundangan Negeri Sabah mahupun Kerajaan Persekutuan.
ReplyDeleteselepas 10 tahun Sabah menyertai Malaysia, dan sehingga kini, 48 tahun Sabah Merdeka didalam gagasan Malaysia . Sabah tidak pernah lagi berdepan dengan satu situasi cemas yakni tidak berlaku konfrontasi antara rakyat Sabah kepada Kerajaan Persekutuan. Kehidupan harmonis menjadi pegangan utama rakyat Sabah dan inilah bukti mengapa pada tempoh tersebut tidak ada pungutan suara untuk mengkaji semula Perjanjian Malaysia.
ReplyDelete