Sri Tanjong representative Justin Wong said the SRA is similar to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) the opposition coalition signed with the federal government in September.
He feared that Sabah PH would lose the people’s support if it went ahead with the SRA with GRS.
“The only difference between the SRA and the MoU is that the former is less formal,” he told FMT.
“There is no point for the SRA when there is political stability in Sabah currently. If we sign it, we will end up having to explain to the people why we did it and that will take up a lot of our time.”
Wong said the situation in Sabah is not the same as in the peninsula, where the signing of the MoU was due to a slim majority of seats held by the government bloc and Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob needing support from PH to maintain political stability.
Wong was not part of the group of Sabah PH leaders who presented the seven-point SRA to chief minister Hajiji Noor on Nov 15.
Among other things, the SRA proposed a number of political and administrative reforms, the pursuit of state rights under the MA63, and a post-Covid-19 economic recovery plan.
Analysts have argued that PH’s recent defeat in the Melaka polls could also be attributed to the MoU which it had signed with Putrajaya, among other factors.
They said there could be a similar setback for the opposition in Sabah should GRS accept the SRA proposal.
Observers have said the essence of the SRA, despite its fine-tuning to suit the state’s needs and issues, was the same as the federal MoU, which was to find common ground to work together and thus create political stability.
Wong, who is a first-time assemblyman, said despite efforts from Sabah PH to downplay it, the people see the SRA as being similar to the MoU.
“With the election coming, the opposition should be on the offensive, not defensive. The people will ask ‘why are we cooperating with the government?’, by making such a proposal.
“When we are talking about reform, it should be done voluntarily and not bound by any MoU or instrument. Our agreement should always be with the people, not with any political party,” Wong said, adding that the SRA would only serve PH’s short-term interest.
He called for all opposition assemblymen to continue discharging their responsibilities as genuine opposition lawmakers, and to hold the government accountable by exercising their duty of providing check and balance.