Leiking: Let Sabah decide its own educational direction

Penampang MP says there is no reason why Sabah cannot emulate Singapore in developing an innovative and excellent education system.

PETALING JAYA: Penampang MP Darell Leiking has outlined his vision for a Sabahan education policy where children of the state are nurtured through a fair and progressive education system.

Speaking to FMT about the proposed Sabahan education policy, which he and Semporna MP Shafie Apdal are pushing through their new Sabah-based multiracial party, Leiking said it was high time the Land Below the Wind decided its own education matters.

“Sabahans know the local terrain and culture far better than those outside of Sabah,” he said, adding he believed Putrajaya had not given Sabah its due entitlement in terms of education funds.

“In Sabah, we have so many schools which are in a dilapidated condition.

“Perhaps, even more damaging, is the lack of East Malaysian history in our textbooks, including the terms of the formation of Malaysia and the role of our forefathers in Malaysia’s formation.”

Leiking said he and Shafie had a plan to develop a generation of Sabahans who not only excelled in academic and vocational education, but were also trained to think “outside the box”.

He added that the moulding of students under such an education policy would begin from preschool.

“Just look at how Singapore has built its education system and how many other nations have designed their education to create a hardworking and innovative culture.

“Have you ever wondered why hundreds, if not thousands of Malaysians, travel from all over the country, especially Johor, to Singapore to send their kids to school in Singapore?

“There must be something that Singapore has done to make travelling there worthwhile.”

Leiking said with the talent and experience Sabah had, the state could also do what Singapore did.

He added that he and Shafie envisioned a total revamp of how children could be educated.

Earlier this month, Leiking told FMT that his new party was pushing for a new education policy for Sabah, among others, as part of a “new deal” the party wanted to offer Sabahans.

Leiking said the party was working with a team of technocrats, academics, professionals and businessmen to formulate a new deal for Sabah.

Source: Free Malaysia Today

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Sabah lawmaker to push for special committee to review Malaysia Agreement

PKR's Darell Leiking says if Parliament had allowed a Special Committee be established earlier to hear the opinions of nationalist groups from Sabah and Sarawak, there will be no talk of secession now.

KOTA KINABALU, Jan 26, 2015: A Sabah lawmaker is urging fellow parliamentarians to support a proposal to establish a special committee to review the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

Penampang Member of Parliament Darell Leiking, in making the call, said he would be resubmitting a motion for the setting up of the committee when Parliament convenes.

Leiking first submitted the motion in Parliament two years ago, but it was rejected as it was not considered an urgent matter.

He was responding on the Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail’s recent statement on the position of Sabah within the Federation of Malaysia.

Gani also called for a proper and rational discussion as to whether all the safeguards intended to protect the interests of East Malaysian states, prior to formation of Malaysia, had been properly observed.

Leiking said it was important to attend to the root causes as to why disgruntled Sabahans and Sarawakians were talking about secession these days.

The PKR politician believed the current discontent was due to sentiments that Sabah and Sarawak had been grossly marginalised all these years.

With the A-G’s suggestion for discussion on the issue, Leiking said there was an urgency to take another look at the Malaysia Agreement 1963, especially when there were so many issues being raised by Sabah and Sarawak nationalists.

“By doing so, we will be able to conclude whether the Federation of Malaysia today is what Sabah and Sarawak had aspired it to be in 1963.”

Leiking pointed out that more Sabahans were now talking about the marginalisation of Sabah, with some local politicians even complaining about the state’s poor conditions in their speeches during the tabling of the federal Budget in Parliament.

“If Sabah’s BN MPs themselves are complaining, what more of the ordinary Sabahans on the street?

“So how could the BN-led federal government be oppressive towards the ordinary Sabahans who are merely voicing out their displeasure with how Sabah is being treated?”

He said the establishment of this Special Committee, which was promised to be formed every 10 years from the date of formation of Malaysia, would have been able to conduct the review and ascertain which parts of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and its Annexures had not been fulfilled or performed.

Had Parliament allowed the Special Committee be established in the first place and let the opinions of these nationalist groups from Sabah and Sarawak be heard through this committee, Leiking said he was certain that there would be no talk of secession now.

“Unless it is the intention of West Malaysia to colonise Sabah and Sarawak, let me state here that being equal partners, no one is higher than Sabah and Sarawak.

“Surely not even the federal government, since without Sabah and Sarawak, there will be no federal government in the first place.”

Source: http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2015/01/26/sabah-lawmaker-push-special-committee-review-malaysia-agreement/#ixzz3Q1m5rfSR

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What Sabahans want — Darell Leiking

SEPTEMBER 4 — The current culmination of anger leashed out by the Sabahans against the incompetence and inability by the BN Government in governing the State had came to a boiling point that the national BN leaders have finally resorted in threatening the Sabahans with sedition act.

If one analyze the situation logically, it will be clear that these culmination of angers would not be there if the BN government had done the tasks entrusted upon them by the Sabahans in the first place, instead of fighting to ensure its political survival remained intact!

And due to these incompetence and failure by the BN Government to bring forth the daily lamentations made by the Sabahans to the national level effectively and fought for it, this had somewhat created great a division between Sabah and the Federation of Malaysia.

This is evidenced when we speak about the existence of 800,000 illegal immigrants/Project IC holders in the State and the imbalance development/mistreatment of Sabah; a nation which was indeed independent before agreeing to form the Federation of Malaysia.

So, if the BN government had done its job for the past 20 years, Sabahans would be very satisfied with Sabah's position within the Federation of Malaysia and there would be no complaints at all from the Sabahans!

Even the opposition would not be able to wrestle several seats from BN as evidenced in the previous GE13.

What we Sabahan wants from the federal government is plain and simple.

We want Sabah to be recognised as an equal partner within the Federation in whereby, when determining the future of his nation called Malaysia, our opinions, requests and voices must be adhered to since Sabah is one of the 'three shareholders'.

For example, did the federal government taken into the consideration the call by the Sabahans for equal distribution of Parliamentary seats between Malaya, Sarawak and Sabah over the seats previously allotted for Singapore?

And whenever Sabahans spoke of any issue such as the oil royalty review or Borneosation, the BN Government would be quick to hide behind its usual cover line of 'we don't bring issues in the open; we discuss about it during our meeting'.

Any minister or representative must discuss his/her party's issues during their party's meeting BUT there is no reason for them not to educate and inform the Sabah's younger generation openly of what is rightful belongs to our State !

Even the RCI report on the existence of the illegal immigrants in Sabah is not forthcoming when Sabahans are eagerly waiting for it despite the fact that Sabahans are the ones who paid the costs for the hearing through the peoples' funds known as taxpayers money.

Thus, the culminating resentments and angers felt by the Sabahans towards the nonchalant attitude by the BN government over all these issues have somewhat come to a point that ordinary and non-partisan Sabahans decided to take things at their own hands by educating and spreading the awareness relating to Sabah such as the Birth of Malaysia, the 20 Points and Sabah's special rights and privileges which were imbued in the Malaysian Agreement 1963.

And several politicians (including myself), activists, scholars, academicians and non-partisans have taken part in several forums to share our thoughts, opinions and so on relating to these pertinent issues that some of these forums have unbelievably been regarded as 'seditious' in nature by some quarters.

Why is it seditious in nature to speak and discuss about the special rights and privileges held by Sabah which have been acknowledged by the signatories to the Malaysian Agreement 1963 in the first place or even the mistreatment felt by the Sabahans all these while?

I believe that even some of the members of the BN government may also support our call for a more autonomous and respected Sabah but due to pressure upon them (for reasons known only to them) or even the threat of causing seditious remarks, they may have unfortunately unable to realize the wishes of Sabahans

In the case of Tan Sri Simon Sipaun, a Pro BN NGO had made a police report against him when the former had only shared his experience as a junior civil servant during the British administration and not in any way belittle any of the previous effort by those who fought for the independence of Sabah.  

While there has been many insensitive comments made in the past by several BN state leaders, this act of making the police report is a show of arrogance beyond comprehension shown by an NGO that I myself could not believe is happening in this State.

Why would anyone make a police report against a retired civil servant (who had given his entire life for Sabah) who merely made a comparison relating to the governance between the past and present administration?  

I myself do not believe in secession as I believe that prosperity and security within the scope of an autonomous and equal governance of Sabah in the Federation as envisaged during the formation of Malaysia is what Sabahans really want and this vision was equally felt and shared by some of our previous State leaders.  

I stand by Tan Sri Simon Sipaun and whatever effort by the BN government to intimidate or suppress the determination and spirit of the ordinary Sabahans to ensure that the special rights and privileges held by Sabah will fail.

Just attend to the demands that Sabahans wanted.

Source: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/what-you-think/article/what-sabahans-want-darell-leiking#sthash.AxckQhuC.dpuf

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Putrajaya should get its act together

Public anger at BN’s incompetence in governing the state has come to a boiling point.

KOTA KINABALU: Penampang MP Darell Leiking has called on the Federal government to get its act together instead of intimidating rights activists in Sabah and Sarawak with the possibility of them being arrested for airing the grievances of the people.

He suggests that Putrajaya release the Royal Commission of Inquiry report immediately and at the same time work on some of the other major grievances of the people in Borneo.

“Public anger at the incompetence and inability of the Barisan Nasional government in governing the state has come to a boiling point,” said Leiking in a statement.

He was supporting former Sabah Secretary Simon Sipaun who, in invoking the Biblical “man does not live by bread alone” quote had reiterated in a pre-Merdeka talk in Kota Kinabalu that “life in Sabah was better before 1963”.

He also deplored the police reports lodged against Simon for his oft-repeated statement on the plight of Sabah in Malaysia.

What Sabahans want immediately from the Federal government, according to him, is simple for starters.

Besides the RCI report, he identified the main issues as:

(1) recognition of Sabah as an equal partner of three including the peninsular and Sarawak;

(2) the Parliamentary seats held by Singapore before to be given to Sabah and Sarawak and the balance to be maintained i.e. 65 per cent peninsular, 35 per cent Borneo;

(3) an upward revision in oil royalty; and

(4) Borneonisation of the civil service in Sabah and Sarawak and representation in the Federal Civil Service in the peninsular;

“If Putrajaya had done its job especially over the last 20 years, Sabahans would have been satisfied with their position in the Federation,” said Leiking.

He pointed out that the fact that the Opposition managed to wrest 12 state seats and four parliamentary seats in Sabah from the BN during the 13th General Election last May, should serve as a wake-up call for those in the corridors of power.

Source: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2014/09/06/putrajaya-should-get-its-act-together/

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BN Sabah leaders ‘losing heart’

BN leaders taking the easy way out by saying they too have to wait for funds from the Federal Government.

KOTA KINABALU: Opposition leaders in Sabah are dismayed by their observation that the ruling Barisan Nasional, in power since 1994, has resigned itself to the futility of getting sufficient funds and in time from Putrajaya for development purposes.

“If the BN Sabah representatives would also have to wait for funds from the Federal Government, up to the extent of five years and more, for development purposes, what makes them different from opposition representatives?” asked Moyog Assemblyman Terence Siambun in a statement. “Even some of the BN leaders who were once very vocal in respect of the special rights and privileges of Sabah have gone quiet.”

The BN Sabah Government had long lost its enthusiasm and vigour in making Sabah a developed and prosperous nation, claimed Terence, and “there is no surprise when once again it is being declared as the poorest in Malaysia”.

Terence, who is also Vice Chief PKR Sabah, was echoing Penampang MP Darell Leiking’s statement on Friday asking the Federal Government to get its act together in Sabah.

At the same time, he wants Federal Rural Development Minister Shafie Apdal, a Suluk; to produce evidence that Sabah will degenerate into civil war and/or risk being invaded by a neighbouring country should it secede from the Federation.

Terence complained that besides the slow development in Sabah which had forced many youths to flee to the peninsula as factory workers, Putrajaya seemed oblivious to the continuing influx of illegal immigrants, the proliferation of foreigners going even into the retail consumer sector and edging locals out, and discrimination in giving out aid to villagers.

He invited Shafie to come to Moyog and see the state of under-development for himself, instead of scenario-building on threats, and also learn how the people are suffering in the face of the Sabah Government’s apparent impotence.

He urged BN Sabah leaders not to take the easy way out by saying that despite being part of the Sabah Government, they also have to wait for funds from the Federal Government.

He pointed out that BN Sabah Assemblymen should be able to do more for the people since being part of the Sabah and Federal Governments they receive RM1.5 million a year from the contingency fund and a further RM500,000 per annum for the provision of emergency relief.

“The ball is at the feet of BN Sabah leaders to ensure that we regain our dignity in the Federation,” said Terence in identifying education, healthcare, oil royalty and Borneonisation as other issues crying out for attention besides development.

Source: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2014/09/07/bn-sabah-leaders-losing-heart/

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Anger over Barisan’s incompetence fuelling secession talk, say PKR MP

As police probed a Facebook group discussing secession of Sabah and Sarawak from Malaysia, a Sabah opposition MP has said such talk is arising now due to East Malaysians' anger over Barisan Nasional's incompetence in governance, which has resulted in numerous problems plaguing the two states.

PKR Penampang MP Darell Leiking said the incompetence and failure of the BN-led state governments to voice the people's unhappiness towards Putrajaya has created a divide between Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia.

"If the BN Government had done its job for the past 20 years, Sabahans would be very satisfied with Sabah's position within the Federation of Malaysia and there would be no complaints at all from the Sabahans.

"Even the opposition would not be able to wrestle several seats from BN as evidenced in the previous general election," he said in a statement today.

While he does not believe in secession from Malaysia, the first-term MP cited a litany of problems which he said contributed to the people's dissatisfaction with BN.

This included the large number of illegal immigrants in Sabah, the mistreatment of the Borneon state and the review of oil royalty to be paid to Sabah.

The large number of illegal immigrants saw Putrajaya setting up a Royal Commission of Inquiry in September 2012 to probe problems related to it, including the issuance of Malaysian documents to Muslim illegal immigrants under a scheme known as Project IC.

The Commission had called 211 witnesses in the proceedings and had submitted its findings to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong although the report has yet to be made public despite calls from the opposition and activists.

"Even the RCI report on the existence of the illegal immigrants in Sabah is not forthcoming when Sabahans are eagerly waiting for it despite the fact that Sabahans are the ones who paid the costs for the hearing through the peoples' funds known as taxpayers’ money.

"This caused much resentment and the anger among Sabahans towards the nonchalant attitude of the BN government over all these issues has somewhat come to a point that ordinary and non-partisan Sabahans decided to take things in their own hands by educating and spreading the awareness relating to Sabah such as the Birth of Malaysia, the 20 Points Agreement and Sabah's special rights and privileges which were imbued in the Malaysia Agreement 1963," said Darell.

Darell said what Sabahans wanted is simply to be recognised as an equal partner where their opinions and requests are taken seriously.

As such, politicians, activists, civil society and academicians have shared their thought in some forums, which had been deemed "seditious" by the authorities.

"Why is it seditious in nature to speak and discuss about the special rights and privileges held by Sabah which have been acknowledged by the signatories to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 in the first place or even the mistreatment felt by the Sabahans all these while?" he asked.

Sabah police commissioner Deputy Comm Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman had said yesterday that the police is investigating the owners of the Facebook account "Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia (SSKM)" and other related websites.

The account aimed to collect 300,000 signatures to support its objective to reinstate the 1963 Malaysia Agreement, a treaty that brought Sarawak, Sabah, and for a short while Singapore, to form the Federation of Malaysia as equal partners but critics have charged that it has now turned to a “takeover project” by Putrajaya.

Calls for Sabah and Sarawak to secede from Malaysia are treasonous, which carry severe penalties under the law.

However, Darell claimed even some BN members supported calls for a more autonomous Sabah but due to pressure, their hands are tied. – September 4, 2014.

Source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/anger-over-barisans-incompetence-giving-rise-to-secession-talks-say-pkr-mp#sthash.oGhaqzcl.dpuf

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