Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president Teo Chee Kang said it was another important milestone in the state’s quest for the restoration of Sabah rights under MA63.
“Not only does it clearly spell out that the rights of Sabah and Sarawak under MA63 will be realised by consensus, the prime minister also announced that the power to regulate production and distribution of gas and electricity will be given back to Sabah.”
Teo said this was in line with the recommendations made in the Inter-Governmental Committee Report prior to the formation of Malaysia.
“The full list of pledges under the heading ‘Senyum Sabah dan Sarawak’ only reaffirmed the fact that the Bornean states receive special attention from BN,” he added.
Teo said this included the mechanism for “one nation, one price” which would replace the different prices of goods in the peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak.
He was also happy that the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) would finally be recognised, enabling holders of the qualification to enrol into public universities provided that they have a credit in Bahasa Malaysia and a pass in History in SPM.
“As a UEC holder myself, this has always been an issue close to my heart. This is a breakthrough.
“The BN manifesto is a roadmap that will bring Malaysia forward as a progressive nation with political stability and economic vibrancy that takes into account the needs and well-being of the people,” he said.
Meanwhile, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) deputy president Maximus Ongkili said he was satisfied with the BN manifesto which was comprehensive, inclusive and far-sighted.
“Not all the policies in the manifesto are new but they are more to complete the steps that have to be taken to take us into 2020 when we intend to be a developed nation.
“As for Sabah and Sarawak, the targets are pretty detailed and I am confident the people will believe the commitment of our prime minister to ensure both states are on a level status with the peninsula in terms of development,” he said.
On the MA63 pledge, Ongkili said it was a priority set by the central government to ensure the rights of Sabah and Sarawak were safeguarded.
“This has never been touched on in the entire 22 years of Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s tenure as prime minister.
“Speaking up about Sabah’s rights was like taboo during his time. I was myself thrown into jail under the Internal Security Act for 59 days for bringing up the Malaysia Agreement,” Ongkili said.
He also said MA63 should be checked from time to time to determine whether the requirements had been fulfilled.
“There’s nothing wrong with this as it is to ensure that the prosperity is shared. It also helps to sustain sentiments of nationality.
“We are grateful to (Prime Minister) Najib (Razak) for the openness to discuss the matter. This is a plus point for Sabahans,” he said.
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