PH to go by the book

(The Borneo Post) – Pakatan Harapan (PH) will strictly follow its Buku Harapan when it comes to restoring the rights of Sarawak.

State Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) vice chairman See Chee How said every promise made to Sabah and Sarawak by PH was clearly written in the book.

“You talk about the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), you talk about the autonomous power, you talk about the devolution of power, it is all there. Buku Harapan contains the pillar and the promises that we have offered to all Malaysians if we win the general election.

“We have won and therefore, I have no doubt on the PH government in fulfilling all its promises, including the devolution of powers to Sarawak,” he told a press conference here yesterday.

See said on the inception of PH on January 6, 2016, the partners in PH had already made the promises that it would recognise the status of Sabah and Sarawak as accorded in the MA63, which, he stressed, was already a principle for the formation of PH.

“Then, when we made Buku Harapan we have five pillars and 10 promises in 100 days, 60 promises in five years and other special pledges. For us in Sarawak the important pillar is the return of Sabah and Sarawak to the status accorded in Malaysia Agreement 1963.

“Under the promises, we are to set a Special Cabinet Committee to properly enforce the MA63 within the first 100 days,” he said.

See said the committee will consist of representatives from the peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak, who have expertise in relevant matters. The cabinet committee, he added, would be mandated to look into all the autonomous power of Sarawak; how to devolve power and all related matters.

Then within six months, the committee will report back to the cabinet on how things are to be implemented, he said further.

See noted that when PH talks of devolution, the whole system must be there – the legislative, administrative and fiscal.

“Barisan Nasional (BN) is talking just about administrative. If you want the administrative power you must be given the money. If no money, how are you going to run the state?

“But the devolution of power that PH is talking about is legislative, administrative and fiscal,” he said. On state PH chairman Chong Chieng Jen’s statement that the devolution of power to the state government was off, See said he was not sure in what context he (Chong) was talking as he was not in the press conference.

“But my understanding is he proposed and went to the Chief Minister’s Office to submit the proposal. CM refused to accept the proposal and it was not signed.

“That is another thing. But if you are talking about devolution of power, my explanation is Sarawak’s right would be granted according to our (PH) manifesto,” he said.

See pointed out that there are many ways on how devolution can be done; it could be the Scotland-UK manner or the Ireland manner of doing it.

“I think the cabinet committee will deliberate from there and find out the best way to do it.

“Of course, for it to materialise we need the cooperation from the government of the day, which runs the state and manages the state,” he said.