Sabah, Sarawak want their full rights, not interested in federal top posts: Warisan deputy chief
KOTA KINABALU: What the people of Sabah and Sarawak want is that their rights be fully given to them and not any top federal positions such as prime minister or deputy prime minister, said Parti Warisan (Warisan) deputy president Darell Leiking.
“In Sabah or Sarawak, I don’t think the post of PM or TPM (Deputy Prime Minister) was ever our interest. Our interest in Sabah and Sarawak is about our rights being given fully to us,” said Mr Darell as quoted as saying by the Borneo Post on Thursday (Nov 17).
He said what the people of the two states want is for the 21 claims under MA63 to be fulfilled, with the amendment of the laws relating to them.
Mr Darell was explaining why Sabah and Sarawak have to create their own ‘Borneo Bloc’ in Malaysia’s 15th General Election (GE15), which will be made up of members of parliament from the two states.
The bloc is to enable the two states to gain their rights from the federal government, he added.
He said that Warisan is contesting in all the 25 parliamentary seats in Sabah and one at the Labuan Federal Territory to show to others in Malaysia, including Sarawak, that the Sabahans want their own political bloc just like the Sarawak political bloc.
Mr Darell also said that if Sabah is controlled by local parties, Sarawak would be open to forming a Borneo bloc, which would then grant the Borneo states more power from Putrajaya.
“If we win a lot, don’t you think we can, by then, extend our hand to Sarawak and ask them to combine with us? To help us?” said Mr Darell.
He added that the Sarawakians would probably be open to the suggestion of forming the Borneo common bloc since the Sabahans can prove that they are not dependent on parties from Peninsular Malaysia.
