Why teach about 1MDB but not MA63, ask Sabah leaders

(FMT) – A Sabah minister has urged the education ministry to get its priorities right after it pledged that the 1MDB scandal would be included in Malaysian history to ensure that such mistakes are not made again.

Warisan vice-president Junz Wong, who is also the state agriculture and food industry minister, said teaching the younger generation about the 1MDB scandal was not as important as including Sabah and Sarawak’s history in textbooks.

He said it was important for Malaysians to learn about Sabah and Sarawak and the two territories’ historical contribution.

Education Minister Maszlee Malik said earlier today that the 1MDB topic would be included as part of history so that the younger generation would not repeat the same mistakes.

However, he did not explain if the topic would be included in school textbooks or whether it would be made part of student discussions.

Wong believed Maszlee might not know much about Sabah’s history.

“We have always known that the History subject taught in schools is all about the history of Malaya. Although the name of the subject is Sejarah Malaysia, there is little or no mention about the role played by Sabah and Sarawak in the formation of the federation.

“Even if there is, the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) is treated as if it is of no significance at all, which is weird because without MA63, there is no Malaysia,” Wong said.

In Malaya, he said, the emphasis is on the undocumented “social contract” whereas the MA63 is also an international treaty as well as a Trust Deed.

Therefore, he urged the education ministry to include this important topic into the school’s history textbooks.

“MA63 is incorporated into the Federal Constitution which the minister swears to protect and uphold. Therefore, where is the minister’s sense of responsibility?

“How is 1MDB in any way more important for Malaysian children to learn when compared to Sabah and Sarawak’s contribution in the formation of Malaysia?

“How is the scandal more significant than the history of the two other partners of the Federation of Malaysia because as it is, Malaysian children are only learning about one partner’s history, namely the Malayan history,” he said.

Wong said MA63 should be front and centre of the Sejarah Malaysia subject so that Malaysian children would understand why the date September 16, 1963 was much more significant than just a public holiday gazetted through executive order by the previous prime minister.

Wong’s views were shared by Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) secretary-general Jahid Jahim who said the inclusion of MA63 as part of the history subject was a more pressing issue than the 1MDB scandal.

He said Maszlee displayed his immaturity by saying that the inclusion of the 1MDB scandal into Malaysian history would deter people from repeating the same mistake.

“The scandal had shamed Malaysia. Acknowledging it as something historical will not just shame those involved, but the country as a whole. I am sure that it will never be forgotten, whether it is in the textbook or not,” he said.

He pointed out that the scandal is still being heard in court, and to date, no one has been proven guilty.

Instead of wasting time and resources on the issue, Jahid said Maszlee should focus on improving the content on MA63 and matters pertaining to the formation of the nation in the history textbooks.

“Many Malaysians, particularly those in the Peninsular, are unaware of Malaysia’s formation and many do not respect the MA63 as well as Sabah and Sarawak’s status and participation in making Malaysia possible.

“In fact, I believe even the minister has little understanding of the meaning of history. If he meant economic history, then scandals such as the Bumiputra Malaysia Finance (BMF), Bank Negara Malaysia’s losses due to foreign exchange and the Perwaja Steel project, to mention a few, should be included. Why hide these facts?” he asked.