Dr M, Ku Li accused of hypocrisy over federalism

Political analyst James Chin says Dr Mahathir Mohamd centralised a lot of power, to the detriment of Sabah and Sarawak.

(FMT) – Elder statesmen Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah have been accused of hypocrisy in lauding the importance of federalism after having upset the balance between the federal and state governments when they held power.

University of Tasmania’s professor of Asian Studies, James Chin, said a lot of power was centralised under the federal government when Mahathir was prime minister in the last century.

As for Tengku Razaleigh, he was responsible for drafting the Petroleum Development Act 1974, which stripped Malaysian states of their rights over oil and gas resources in their territories, Chin told FMT.

He said a common joke among East Malaysians was that the oil revenue from Sabah and Sarawak had paid for each of the Petronas Twin Towers.

“A real federation is the sharing of power between the federal and state governments, with each state almost equal in power,” said Chin. “The problem with Malaysia is that the state governments are very weak and the federal government is too powerful.”

Chin said “it was never meant to be that way”, adding that his discontent was shared by many East Malaysians who were unhappy with the current state of the federation.

“That’s why the Malaysia Agreement 1963 is such a big issue in East Malaysia,” he said.

Mahathir and Tengku Razaleigh, who is also known as Ku Li, were quoted in an FMT report on Wednesday as saying that Malaysia was founded on the premise that its true strength lay in the unity of its constituent regions.

Mahathir said a federation gives strength to the states while Ku Li said Malaysia must work as a collective unit to protect its territory and resources.

 

Oil royalties a key issue

Universiti Malaya socio-political analyst Awang Azman Pawi agreed that federalism was important nationally, but said the principle was often viewed as being unfairly executed in Sabah and Sarawak.

He said federalism should mean power being shared with state governments, which was the case to some extent for the Borneo states. Their main gripe was not getting a fair share of the revenue generated from their oil and gas resources, he said.

“Royalties are a key issue, with both states feeling that they receive too small a percentage, especially when the federal government held strong power before 2018.

“There was previously a perception that Putrajaya controlled too many aspects of administration and development in Sabah and Sarawak, which meant that the autonomy promised under the concept of federalism was not fully realised,” he said.

Awang Azman said the recognition by the current federal government of states’ rights under MA63 was crucial to a blooming relationship between the Borneo states and the centre.

He added that Malaysian federalism was dynamic and should constantly be reviewed.

“Federalism is a crucial tool for Sabah and Sarawak to maintain their autonomy and cultural uniqueness. In the future, the role of the federal and state governments must be reassessed, and Sabah and Sarawak given a greater role in national development, consistent with their significant contributions through natural resources such as oil and gas,” he said.