KOTA KINABALU: Members of Parliament (MPs) from Sabah and Sarawak support the formation of a Borneo caucus to cooperate politically, in order to have a single voice to strengthen Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) claims.
THERE have been newspaper reports on the recent move by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) to propose punishment for those who disrespect the national language and by the Sabah Pakatan Harapan (PH) to make English the second official language of Sabah.
The fact that this issue on the official language of Sabah has cropped up again nearly 59 years after the formation of Malaysia in 1963 is akin to that of a grandfather reminiscing on lost opportunities for what could have happened if different choices were earlier made.
Is it too late now to make changes to the official language of Sabah?
To sort out this matter, we need to go back to the report by Lord Cameron Cobbold to Harold Macmillian, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on the matter of Independence of North Borneo (later known as Sabah) and the establishment of a federation (later known as Malaysia)
The recent amendment to the Federal Constitution reverts to the constitutional position of 1963 when the territories of the Federation were described in three separate categories: (a) the States of Malaya; (b) the Borneo States of Sabah and Sarawak, and (c) Singapore
The Borneo States must retain and hold at least 35 per cent of the Parliamentary seats to protect the rights and special privileges of both Sabah and Sarawak.
Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) President Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said the percentage of the seats allocated to Singapore should be the justification for Sabah and Sarawak to be given more seats
KOTA KINABALU: The appointment of a deputy prime minister from the Borneo states should be considered by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, says a political analyst.