Scotland may unilaterally declare independence in May 2015

I heard of a possible unilateral declaration of Scottish Independence from the late Robin Cook MP in 1983 at the Labour Party Conference in Perth City Hall. I asked Robin about Labour's prospects at the election. We will win Scotland, we agreed but it looked like another Thatcher victory due to English dominance of seat numbers. 

He then said 'How can we let the Scottish people suffer another Tory government hell-bent on union destruction and driving down living standards? I am seriously considering leading all Scottish Labour MP's over the burning bridge to join with the SNP and declare UDI'. 

Robin Cook contemplated UDI but clearly forces within the Scottish party stopped him. Labour has tended to make the mistake of equating their own jobs-worth interests in Scotland as the national interest of the Scottish people and by 1983 Gordon Brown had forgotten his statement of principle in the Red Book for Scotland that if the Union of 1707 stopped serving the interests of the working people of Scotland it should end. Labour do not serve the interests of the people of Scotland otherwise they would acknowledge that there has never been equality between England and Scotland since the Union of 1707. As the McCrone reports of 1974 and 1975 show all the cream of profit from North Sea Oil has been taken from Scotland and spent on England, with projects such as upgrading the north and south circular road in London, the M25 and the Channel Tunnel also paid for from the 'bonanza' of NSO. Economically, Scotland has been robbed and impoverished by subsequent Westminster governments. 

Better Together kid themselves by asserting that the referendum vote on 18th Sept expressed the settled will of the Scottish people. Nothing could be further from reality. Project Fear turned to Project Hysteria in the last two weeks and unleashed the most vicious forces of what was a Westminster-led ideological war upon the Scottish people to kill confidence, kill hope, and undermine the idea that Scots were even capable of running their own affairs. Economic collapse and calamity would ensue if we DARED to vote Yes, huge retail price hikes would be instantaneous, pensions would cease the day after the vote. Essentially we were told DO NOT DARE to VOTE YES - WE OWN YOU AND YOU WILL OBEY YOUR MASTERS! 

It went right off the Richter Scale of political discourse. The 3 riders of the Apocalypse rode among our cities like 'Murder' in Shelley's Mask of Anarchy. Those who think themselves the rulers of Scotland raged their venom via our tv screen and newspapers they own, telling us what they would do if we dared to think for ourselves. So, by any standards, the will of the Scottish people was among some groups, especially the elderly, that of fear, panic and some were petrified. Thugs who would deliberately do this to any community would be judged as criminals and brought to court and sentenced. 

The day of reckoning is coming for the Project Fear masters at the ballot box on 7th May 2015. 

Ruth Davidson MSP and her Labour cohorts are naive in the extreme to believe there was 'intimidation' on both sides of the Referendum debate given the state sponsored ideological war that raged upon the concerns of the people of Scotland in the last weeks of the Referendum. The egg thrown at Jim Murphy was idiotic. Some stupid unpleasant comments on the internet from either side pails to a drop in the ocean compared to the authoritarian anti-democratic abuse orchestrated from Downing Street, aided and abetted by the Scottish Labour crew. The will of the Scottish people could not have been more unsettled, muddied, insulted, scared and in some cases petrified. I saw the fear in pensioner's eyes while campaigning. In old Scots parlance, it was Keep yer fit on their neck. Endless intimidation was the essential buckshot in Project Fear's armoury. 

I, like others, have suggested, since the referendum result, that the Yes Campaign should be maintained and work together at the next election in tandem with the SNP where only one Pro-Independence campaign is fielded in each constituency. This would allow candidates to come from the wide spectrum of the Yes Campaign, if talents such as Iain McWhirter, Jeane Freeman, Lesley Riddoch, Blair Jenkins, David Hayman, Carol Fox, Cat Boyd, Colin Fox , Liam O'Hare, Jonathon Shafi and hopefully others if they are prepared to stand as pro-Independence candidates unopposed by SNP candidates. This makes sense on many levels. Yes literature, car stickers, badges, flags, T-shirts and so on are already made. No need for a new marketing brand for a new organisation. We all know what Yes Scotland stand for. This co-operation needs agreement at senior level but as an SNP councillor In would be more than happy for this community wide approach. Together we awoke a new civic voice in Scottish democracy and its structure is still extant and needs to continue. 

If there is a majority of Pro-Independence MP's elected on 7th May 2015 there are various scenarios that might play out. One is that the majority of SNP and Yes Scotland MP's will compel Westminster to deliver on Devo-max. But Devo-max will not provide the oil and gas revenues to Scotland needed to kick start Scotland out of austerity. England and rUK need that tax take to pay their stupendous debts. We will still have weapons of species obliteration in the Holy loch. £100 billion wasted on the Empire mindset phallic symbol of world status that gives the egos of Westminster 'global influence' to bomb kill and create more Terrorism in the name of peace and stability. We will not have enough funds to eradicate food banks and grotesque socially engineered austerity and poverty wages and socially engineered unemployment which is designed to keep wages as low as possible. Thatcherism started the process of social engineering and it has been continued by every government since, Blue or Red. Tories all. The Prime Minister and Gordon Brown differ on the Vow and are now promising different powers to our parliament. Brown is in a panic that Scotland might get control of raising and spending income tax because that might cause problems for British Labour in London - he is fixated on helping Labour, not the people of Scotland. The vow is in tatters already. Christine Graham MSP was right when she said the relationship between Scotland and London is now over, even if the vote was a majority for the No camp. If Westminster politicians cant even agree on what level of 'Devo-Max' they promised, what will they deliver? 

Labour has already lost Scotland. Whatever the result next May. They could not face the people of Scotland in public meetings. They hid from the people. They were scared to debate with Yes Scotland speakers. They were scared of the people of Scotland. One or two did on a small scale. They hunted in packs. They had meetings where people were invited via email. Selected members of the small crowds. Vetted. Secret venues. This was the behaviour of the people's representatives! What happened to the once proud, open and democratic voices in the Old Labour Labour party I once was a member of? They are dead. Labour have lived in a power 'bubble' of their own self-importance for so long now, they don't even know they are in a bubble. Bubbles burst. 

I believe the grass-roots Yes Scotland campaign should, if we (SNP and Yes Scotland candidates) win a majority of seats in May, make a unilateral declaration of Independence and demonstrate peacefully with unswervingly disciplined law-abiding behaviour, from the day after the election result, in every city of Scotland and demand action from our new MP's and the Scottish Government. Such a demonstration would not be to usurp the authority of our elected Members or Scottish government, but to show that Scotland is ready for major change, whether that be for full 'Devo-Max' or demands for another Referendum or negotiations for Independence should be left to the political leadership of Scotland. Nor would it be wise to call for an occupation of all cities to go on until demands are met, which would be a recipe for confrontation. It is the job of elected representatives and leaders to lead and to speak our collective voice: demonstrations are a way of making that voice heard loud and clear. 

A close examination of electoral statistics for Westminster governments from 1945 show that no government elected in that period had the authority of 50% or more of the total votes cast at any election. All took power with under 50% of votes cast. Two governments were elected with around 35% of votes cast. 

Indeed, when we consider the 40% rule imposed upon the vote at the 1979 Scottish referendum for a Scottish Assembly, and look at the governments elected to Westminster it will come as no surprise to readers that no government since 1945 obtained 40% of the total electorate in their favour. The iron cast stipulation of the 40% rule made for the vote in 1979 was therefore a deliberate stitch-up to postpone the creation of a Scottish Assembly. Labour are not to be trusted and neither are the Tories whatever Vow they make. 

So, if today's Yougov speculation comes true and there are 26 or more SNP/Pro-Independence candidates elected on 7th May, I would suggest that a unilateral declaration of Independence should be considered by grass-roots Yes Scotland campaigners as a means of keeping the feet to the fire of the Westminster elites, be they Blue or Red Tories. If we elect a majority of MP's for Pro-Independence candidates and have one or two more MP's that Labour, then a claim of right for UDI may be subject to question. However, if Yes Scotland/SNP win by 5 or 6 more MP's than Labour in Scotland then the case for UDI is clear because that would put Yes Scotland/SNP around 10% ahead in seats. First past the post governments in the UK have always taken power, even with around 35% of the vote, so Scottish UDI should be seriously considered if we win a large victory in May. 

I would attest that around 20% of the NO votes in the Referendum were cast due to fear and panic and therefore the vote may remain legal and binding, BUT it was a pyrrhic victory with intimidation at its core and does not represent the settled will of the Scots people. It may be far sooner rather than later that our new First Minster can echo the words of Nye Bevan and say 'We were the dreamers, we were the sufferers, now we are the builders'. Scotland must be Independent for the sake of all our people.

Source: http://www.sott.net/article/287750-Scotland-may-unilaterally-declare-independence-in-May-2015

Read More

Anak muda Sabah, wajah baru desak Putrajaya hormat Perjanjian Malaysia

Mereka tidak tergolong dalam mana-mana parti politik, dan berumur antara 25 dan 32 tahun, keempat-empat lelaki yang didakwa menghasut di Kota Kinabalu Isnin lalu kini mewakili wajah orang muda yang berjuang untuk apa yang mereka percaya merupakan hak negeri yang hilang dalam Perjanjian Malaysia.

Mereka menghadapi tuduhan memiliki bahan menggesa Sabah dan Sarawak meninggalkan Malaysia ketika ditangkap di pasar minggu Tuaran pada 1 Februari.

Mereka ialah penganggur Azrie Situ, 25, dan Jemmy Liku Markus Situ, 32, mekanik Erick Jack William, 29, dan pemandu pelancong Joseph Kolis, 29.

“Begitulah trendnya di Sabah sekarang,” presiden Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee memberitahu The Malaysian Insider.

“Orang muda dari latar belakang berbeza yang tidak memihak kepada mana-mana parti politik sekarang memperjuangkan isu yang biasanya diperjuangkan pembangkang."

Bekas ketua menteri Sabah itu berpendapat, trend itu berpunca daripada kesedaran yang meningkat di kalangan pemuda Sabah mengenai sejarah negeri mereka.

"Sejarah yang mereka mula pelajari sekarang tidak terdapat dalam buku teks sekolah. Apa yang mereka temui ialah kerajaan (persekutuan) yang terus-terusan dan terang-terangan tidak mempedulikan Perjanjian Malaysia," kata Yong ketika ditemui baru-baru ini.

Katanya, kesedaran itu kini bertukar menjadi kemarahan dan kebencian, serta menimbulkan keperluan untuk mereka berjuang menuntut hak mereka.

"Pada masa lalu, kerajaan boleh menyuakan kepada rakyat apa sahaja maklumat yang mereka mahu berikan kerana mereka mengawal TV dan radio, tetapi zaman Internet sekarang, ia makin sukar dilakukan.

"Dari Internetlah anak muda Sabah ini mula mengetahui tentang ketidakadilan yang diterima Sabah."

Ahli Parlimen Barisan Nasional (BN) Kalabakan Datuk Seri Abdul Ghapur Salleh ketika memberi amaran ke Putrajaya supaya menjaga kebajikan rakyat Sabah di Parlimen pada Isnin, memberi kredit kepada dakwaan Yong apabila beliau mengatakan belia Sabah, termasuk anak-anaknya, tidak lagi membaca akhbar arus perdana kerana ia dianggap pro-kerajaan, dan sebaliknya memilih laporan berita atas talian.

"Orang tuduh Internet ini penuh dengan penipu. Tetapi belia ini berpendidikan tinggi! Mereka boleh membezakan pembohongan dengan kebenaran."

Empat mereka itu merupakan antara 9 yang ditahan polis di pasar itu – digelar Tuaran 9 oleh media tempatan.

Mereka didakwa dan dibebaskan dengan ikat jamin RM20,000 dan seorang penjamin, sementara 5 yang lain dibebaskan dengan jaminan polis, tetapi tidak pasti jika mereka juga akan didakwa.

Menurut laporan, terdapat "ramai lagi" anak muda yang pergi ke pasar itu untuk menjayakan apa yang didakwa "kempen mengutip tanda tangan" memaksa Putrajaya menghormati Perjanjian Malaysia.

"Adakah satu hasutan mendapatkan tandatangan menuntut kerajaan pusat mengkaji semula Perjanjian Malaysia?" soal Joseph.

"Polis kata kami anggota SSKM (Sabah, Sarawak Keluar Malaysia). Mana mungkin, kerana SSKM ialah laman Facebook. Bagaimanakah kami boleh jadi anggota laman Facebook? Ia bukan satu pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO)," kata Joseph.

Katanya, beliau menganggap penahanan mereka dan dakwaan yang dikenakan terhadap mereka di mahkamah satu "gangguan polis" terhadap mereka yang lantang mahukan perjanjian itu dikaji semula, dakwaan yang disokong bekas wakil rakyat BN Datuk James Ligunjang.

"Kami bukan puak pemisah dan tidak pernah berjuang untuk pemisahan," kata Joseph.

"Apa yang kami mahu hanya supaya Putrajaya menghormati Perjanjian Malaysia dan memberi kami autonomi sebagai sebuah negeri rakan kongsi yang sama rata dalam persekutuan.

"Kami berjuang untuk autonomi, autonomi penuh. Bukan pemisahan.

"Polis yang sebenarnya cuba kaitkan kami dengan kumpulan pemisah melalui laman Facebook."

Joseph berkata sekiranya polis tidak menyerang mereka, “kami boleh dengan mudah dapat 300,000 orang” menandatangani petisyen kajian semula itu.

“Senang saja, di kalangan orang muda di Sabah,” katanya.

Ligunjang, yang putus asa dengan politik BN dan kini bergerak sepenuh masa sebagai aktivis sosial, sedang berusaha mendapatkan sokongan untuk menekan Putrajaya supaya menghormati Perjanjian Malaysia. Katanya, beliau juga diserang pihak polis kerana usahanya itu. 

Beliau mendakwa polis bulan lalu menyita dan merampas kira-kira 31 pasang baju-T dengan perkataan "Hormati Perjanjian Malaysia" daripadanya di bandar Lahad Datu.

Cara polis mendakwa 4 mereka di mahkamah juga dipertikaikan.

Yong, seorang peguam, mempersoalkan mengapa kertas pertuduhan itu tertulis "Mahkamah Tanah Melayu" apabila ia sepatutnya dibuat atas borang Mahkamah Borneo memandangkan mahkamah Sabah dan Sarawak berada di bawah mahkamah Borneo.

Pada masa yang sama, keempat-empat lelaki itu mempersoalkan mengapa pihak polis memaklumkan mengenai keperluan mereka hadir di mahkamah melalui satu kertas nota yang diconteng.

"Mereka tidak ada notis yang elok kah?" soal Jeremy.

Didakwa mengikut Seksyen 4 (2) Akta Hasutan 1948, mereka menghadapi hukuman denda tidak lebih RM2,000 atau penjara tidak melebihi 18 bulan atau kedua-duanya jika sabit kesalahan. – 22 Mac, 2015.

Source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/bahasa/article/anak-muda-sabah-wajah-baru-desak-putrajaya-hormat-perjanjian-malaysia#sthash.DxXpe3yB.dpuf

Read More

Keluar dari M’sia: Pelawaan Isma disambut baik

Pelawaan Isma disambut baik oleh rata-rata penduduk Sabah dan Sarawak yang ingin menyatakan hasrat untuk keluar dari Persekutuan Malaysia.

KUCHING: Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) telah menyeru masyarakat Kristian Malaysia untuk menerima keputusan Mahkamah Rayuan mengharamkan penggunaan perkataan ‘Allah’ oleh mingguan Katolik The Herald.

Katanya, mereka sentiasa boleh mempertimbangkan berhijrah jika tidak berpuas hati dengan keputusan tersebut.

Pelawaan Isma disambut baik oleh rata-rata penduduk Sabah dan Sarawak yang ingin menyatakan hasrat untuk keluar dari Persekutuan Malaysia yang diluahkan dalam Facebook mereka.

“Itu yang sebaiknya. Keluarkan Sabah dan Sarawak dari Malaysia. Suruh Isma buat kertas cadangan. Hantar kepada Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak,” kata Harry Nelson J. Seliang.

Daniel Aishiteru pula berkata,”Malaysia- bawah Thailand, atas Singapura manakala Sabah & Sarawak dalam pulau Borneo.Jauh panggang dari api bah….memang kita layak keluar. Jangan tunggu lagi…”

“Peluang sudah Isma bagi. Sabah Sarawak bantah isu kalimah Allah, keluar Malaysia. Kita tak payah sain sain surat tak susah payah gaduh mulut. Bagus lah idea Isma bagi nih,” ujar Philip Harry Son.

Beberapa orang tidak merasakan, Malaysia tidak bermakna sudah bagi mereka.

“Saya di Borneo bukan di Malaya. Saya tidak mahu bah Malaya,” ujar Collin Ontak

Gafpelz Blizt Ridexz pula berkata, “Kita bantah perkauman… Mereka semua nak keluarkan kita jadi teruskan… Lebih cepat lebih bagus.. Tak payah nak peduli bah. .Tolong keluarkan Sabah dan Sarawak dari Malaysia….Kami sedia utk keluar!”

Eva Claude menambah, “Siapa tahu Tuhan sedang bagi jalan sama Sabah Sarawak keluar Malaysia,”

Presiden Isma Abdullah Zaik Abd Rahman  (gambar) berkata, sebagai rakyat Malaysia, orang Kristian mesti menerima ketuanan Islam di negara ini.

“Mereka boleh memilih untuk bergerak ke mana-mana negara lain jika mereka tidak dapat menerima ketuanan Islam dan royalti yang melindungi ketuanan agama,” ujar Abdullah Zaik Abd Rahman dalam satu kenyataan kelmarin

Sebelum ini Najib telah menandatangani sepuluh perkara di mana membenarkan penduduk Kristian menggunakan kalimah ‘Allah’ dalam Alkitab (Bible) bahasa Indonesia, Malaysia serta bahasa pribumi Iban, Kadazan Dusun dan Lun Bawang.

Source: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/10/17/pelawaan-isma-disambut-baik/

Read More

Frustration over Malaysia Agreement coming to a boil in Sabah

Frustration over Putrajaya's refusal to review and honour the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and its “condescending colonialist’s attitude” towards Sabah is slowly coming to a boil in this touristic “Land Below the Wind”.

For a long time, condemning Putrajaya over the alleged failure to honour the agreement used to be the domain of the opposition but now it appears to be no longer the case.

The Malaysia Agreement brought Sabah, then known as North Borneo, and the independent states of Sarawak and Singapore with the Federated Malay state of Malaya to form a new union, the Federation of Malaysia on September 16, 1963.

A list of 20 points were to safeguard the interests, rights and autonomy of the people of North Borneo upon the formation. Sarawak, too, has a similar proposal, known as 18-point agreement, with certain differences in content.

A former Barisan Nasional (BN) assemblyman Datuk James Ligunjang said the frustration and anger cut across the board, even politics, pointing out the case of the four young men charged in a Kota Kinabalu court last Monday with sedition.

The four were alleged to have in their possession materials calling for Sabah and Sarawak's secession from Malaysia.

He said that while Putrajaya could turn a deaf ear to charges by opposition politicians like Datuk Dr Jeffery Kitingan, the chairman of Star, the warnings by BN politicians like Kalabakan MP Datuk Seri Abdul Ghapur Salleh on Putrajaya's treatment of Sabah must be particularly worrying for the ruling coalition.

“It showed that Sabahans all share the view that the Malaysia Agreement had not been honoured and Sabah had been unfairly treated by Putrajaya,” Ligunjang said.

Ghapur on March 16 had warned Putrajaya in Parliament to take care of Sabahans and that if they don't, “we (BN) will lose”.

Before Ghapur's outburst, none of the Sabah BN leaders dared voiced out their resentment publicly on the issue.

Former Sabah chief minister Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee on Thursday claimed Putrajaya had for years avoided taking a look at the Malaysia Agreement as they sought to dominate Sabah.

Giving some insight into Putrajaya's reaction and attitude whenever Sabah's rights and demands were raised with former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Yong said Abdullah and Umno ministers would often try to sidestep the issue in what he called as “the inconvenient truth”.

“These are the sticky points we have often bugged them and which they would rather sweep under the carpet,” said Yong, who has since left BN to form his own opposition party, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP).

The “sticky points” which had made Sabahans most unhappy include the influx of illegal immigrants, which had change the state's racial demography; “legalising” these illegals, particularly Muslim Filipinos, Indians, Pakistanis and Indonesian, by issuing them identification cards under the so-called Project IC; the security threat and work competition these “new Malaysians” posed and the demand for an increase in the oil and gas royalty.

Former Petagas assemblyman Ligunjang added Sabahans' anger at the continued plunder of the state's natural resources, particularly oil and gas, and the status of their state being downgraded from an independent nation and an equal partner in the federation to a mere state like Selangor or Johor, to the list.

“The frustration is a culmination of so many things,” he said, adding that one of the examples was the presence of Umno in Sabah.

“Umno's presence in Sabah violates the Malaysia Agreement as Malaya should not be interfering in the politics of Sabah and even Sarawak.

“They cannot be here as they do not comply with the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement.

“Also, what happened to the agreement to return 40% of the income generated by Sabah back to the state?

“Sabah and Sarawak are endowed with rich natural resources and today, after 52 years of plundering, we have both been reduced to beggars, begging to Putrajaya for handouts,” Ligunjang said.

Ligunjang, like Yong, too, has quit BN, disillusioned by what he said “Putrajaya's continued attempt to dominate Sabah”.

Wearing a white T-shirt with the words “Hormati Perjanjian Malaysia” (honour the Malaysia Agreement) emblazoned across his chest, Ligunjang describes himself now as “a full-time social activist” giving awareness talks on the Malaysia Agreement and soliciting support to press Putrajaya to honour it.

He said if Putrajaya continued to ignore the agreement and disregard calls by Sabahans, then “what options do we Sabahans have” as he spoke of seeking the British government and the United Nations' help in getting Putrajaya to sit down with the signatories of the agreement “to see if the spirit of the agreement had been achieved”.

“If we don't stand up to them now, our situation will worsen.” – March 22, 2015.

Source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/frustration-over-malaysia-agreement-coming-to-a-boil-in-sabah#sthash.O9pXLPDY.sD2kgVba.dpuf

Read More

Young Sabahans, new face pushing Putrajaya to honour Malaysia Agreement

They do not belong to any political party and aged between 25 and 32. The four men who were charged with sedition in Kota Kinabalu last Monday are now the face of young Sabahans who are taking the mantle of fighting for what they believe to be the state's lost rights in the Malaysia Agreement.

The four are now contesting the charge that they were in possession of materials urging Sabah and Sarawak to leave Malaysia when arrested at the Tuaran Sunday market on February 1.

They are Azrie Situ, 25 and Jemmy Liku Markus Situ, 32, unemployed; Erick Jack William, 29, a mechanic; and Joseph Kolis, 29, a tour guide.

“That's the trend in Sabah now,” Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee told The Malaysian Insider.

“Young people of different backgrounds and who are apolitical are now taking up an issue that used to be the domain of the opposition.”

The former Sabah chief minister attributed the trend to a growing awareness among young Sabahans of their state's history.

“The history they are beginning to learn now is not found in our school textbooks. What they have found is a continued and flagrant disregard by the (federal) government of the Malaysia Agreement,” Yong said recently.

He said it was this awareness that had turned into anger and resentment and the need to fight for what should rightfully be theirs.

“While in the past, the government could feed the people with what only information they want to give because they control the TV and radio, they find it increasingly difficult now in the age of the Internet.

“It is from the Internet that these young Sabahans learn of the injustices Sabah is getting.”

Barisan Nasional MP for Kalabakan Datuk Seri Abdul Ghapur Salleh when warning Putrajaya to take care of Sabahans in Parliament on Monday, lent credence to Yong's claim when he said Sabah youth, including his children, do not read mainstream newspapers because it was perceived as pro-government, and so turned to the online news reports instead.

“People accuse the Internet of being full of liars. But these youth are educated people. They can tell lies from the truth.”

The four were among nine people – dubbed the "Tuaran 9" by local media – rounded up by the police at the market.

While four were charged and released on RM20,000 bail in one surety each, the other five were released on police bail, uncertain if they, too, would be charged.

Reportedly, there were “many more” young people who had gone to the market to what they claimed was a “signature collection campaign” to force Putrajaya to honour the Malaysia Agreement.

“Is it seditious to solicit signatures to demand the federal government review the Malaysia Agreement?” asked Joseph.

“The police are claiming that we are members of SSKM (Sabah, Sarawak Keluar Malaysia or Sabah, Sarawak to secede from Malaysia in English).

“How can that be when SSKM is a Facebook page? How can we be members of a Facebook page? It is not even an NGO,” Joseph said.

He said their arrest and subsequent charge in court was “police harassment” against those who clamour for a review of the agreement, a claim that is supported by a former BN assemblyman Datuk James Ligunjang (pic).

“We are not secessionists and have never fought for secession,” Joseph said.

“All we want is for Putrajaya to honour the Malaysia Agreement and give us the autonomy as an equal partner state in the federation.

“We are fighting for autonomy, full autonomy. Not secession.

“It is the police who are trying to link us to secession via the Facebook page.”

 Joseph said if police had not harassed them, “we could easily get 300,000 people” to sign the petition for a review.

“Easily, among young people in Sabah,” he said.

Ligunjang, who has since given up on BN politics and has gone full time as a social activist drumming support to press Putrajaya to honour the Malaysia Agreement, said he, too, had been harassed by the police over his work to get Putrajaya honour the agreement.

He claimed police last month seized and confiscated about 31 T-shirts with the words “Hormati Perjanjian Malaysia” (honour the Malaysia Agreement) from him in the town of Lahad Datu.

The manner the police charged the four in court was also questioned.

Yong, a lawyer, is questioning why the charge sheet was on that of “Mahkamah Tanah Melayu” when it should be on the Mahkamah Borneo form since Sabah and Sarawak courts come under the Borneo court.

At the same time, the four asked why the police informed them of their court appearance by handing them a scribbled note.

“Don't they have proper notice?” Jemmy, the oldest of the four, asked. – March 22, 2015.

Source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/young-sabahans-new-face-pushing-putrajaya-to-honour-malaysia-agreement#sthash.MDDTSFDz.dpuf

Read More

Sarawak Isytihar 'Perang' Terhadap PATI

KUCHING, 21 Mac (Bernama) -- Selepas 'perang' terhadap kegiatan pembalakan haram membuahkan hasil, kerajaan negeri Sarawak kini mengisytiharkan 'perang' terhadap pendatang asing tanpa izin (PATI).

Ketua Menteri Tan Sri Adenan Satem semasa mengumumkan perkara itu berkata langkah itu perlu diambil sebelum masalah PATI di negeri ini menjadi besar dan sukar untuk diatasi.

Beliau berkata kini terdapat ramai PATI terutama orang Suluk dan Bajau dari Filipina khususnya di Miri.

"Mereka ini perlu segera ditangkap dan dihantar pulang ke negara asal mereka sebelum menimbulkan masalah besar yang sukar diselesaikan di kemudian hari," katanya ketika berucap merasmikan Hari Perhutanan Antarabangsa peringkat negeri di sini, Sabtu.

Adenan berkata Jabatan Imigresen telah dimaklumkan tentang masalah PATI dari Filipina itu sejak setahun lalu tetapi tidak mengambil tindakan penguatkuasaan tegas dan sehubungan itu beliau telah mengarahkan jabatan segera bertindak tegas untuk menahan PATI terbabit.

Beliau bagaimanapun mahu supaya PATI yang ditahan dilayan baik, sesuai dengan layanan yang sepatutnya diberi kepada manusia terutama dalam kalangan kanak-kanak dan ibu mereka.

Sementara itu, Adenan berkata operasi antipembalakan haram, yang dilancarkan sejak beliau menjadi ketua menteri kini mulai membuahkan hasil.

Katanya, setiap hari pasukan penguat kuasa Jabatan Hutan melancarkan serbuan dan rampasan kayu balak yang ditebang secara haram.

Beliau turut mengingatkan pegawai dan kakitangan Jabatan Hutan Sarawak dan Perbadanan Perhutanan Sarawak (SFC) bahawa tindakan tegas termasuk pendakwaan di mahkamah akan diambil terhadap mereka sekiranya didapati bersekongkol dengan syarikat terbabit dalam kegiatan pembalakan haram.

Dalam pada itu, Ketua Menteri berkata kerajaan negeri juga merancang untuk memperluaskan taman negara dan kawasan hutan simpan di negeri ini.

"Kita berharap pada suatu hari nanti kita menebang dan menjual kayu balak dari kawasan hutan yang ditanam, manakala hutan semula jadi kita dikekalkan.

"Bagaimanapun buat masa ini kita tidak boleh berbuat demikian kerana kawasan hutan tanam kita masih tidak mencukupi untuk menghasilkan kayu balak yang mencukupi," katanya.

Adenan berkata semua itu perlu dilaksanakan bagi memulihara hutan tropika untuk generasi akan datang.

Sementara itu, Pengarah Jabatan Hutan negeri Sapuan Ahmad berkata penguat kuasa jabatan berkenaan akan memperluaskan lagi operasi pembanterasan pembalakan haram.

Source:http://www.sarawakiana.net/2015/03/sarawak-isytihar-perang-terhadap-pati.html

Read More

#idefend – Making sure civil society has its voice

An initiative of the Delegation of the European Union to the UN in Geneva in partnership with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Permanent Missions of Brazil, the Republic of Korea and Tunisia to the UN in Geneva.

Every day in every part of the world, NGOs, human rights defenders and other civil society representatives contribute to the promotion, protection and advancement of human rights. They are also an integral part of the UN Human Rights Council, where it is their voices and stories that provide States with essential information on human rights violations. Yet, civil society advocates across the globe, including those who attend the Human Rights Council, are too often exposed to harassment and intimidation.

The #idefend campaign takes a firm public stance to support the voices of civil society. #idefend aims at expressing solidarity with all those human rights defenders and civil society actors, whose dedication and everyday work improve the human rights of people in every corner of the world. Join the campaign and help empower those who speak up for human rights!

“Human rights defenders are not violent seditionists, criminals, nor bloody revolutionaries, as so many governments like to portray them. They are the best of us, all of us. And they have a message. To all governments, we say: focus on their message. Listen to what they are saying. Understand the message, talk to them about it, be persuaded or persuade, without violence, instead of silencing them, punishing them, their families, and their communities.”

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

“Sadly, over the past years, we have observed a worrying trend at the Human Rights Council: Human Rights Defenders and civil society representatives are hampered from speaking at the Council, sometimes they are harassed upon their arrival to Geneva, or subject to reprisals in their home country upon their return. This is not acceptable.”

Peter Sørensen, Head of the EU Delegation to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva.

Please visit this link for more pictures https://www.flickr.com/photos/130597812@N03/sets/72157648807386284/

Source: http://idefend-campaign.net/

Read More

Gaji Minimum Tidak Boleh Lebih RM800 di Sabah, Sarawak

KUALA LUMPUR 21 Jun - Gaji minimum tidak boleh ditetapkan terlalu tinggi bagi Sabah dan Sarawak melainkan pada tahap RM800 sebulan.

Timbalan Menteri Sumber Manusia, Datuk Maznah Mazlan berkata, penetapan pada tahap itu dibuat memandangkan gaji penengah di dua negeri berkenaan pada masa ini sangat rendah iaitu masing-masing RM577 dan RM738 sebulan.

“Gaji penengah yang rendah memberi indikator bahawa majikan tidak mempunyai keupayaan untuk membayar gaji yang tinggi.

“Sekiranya gaji minimum ditetapkan terlalu tinggi ia berkemungkinan terpaksa mengurangkan jumlah pekerja.

“Jika keadaan ini berlaku, ia akan merugikan pekerja kerana mereka kehilangan pekerjaan dan ini akan menimbulkan masalah pengangguran," katanya dalam sesi soal jawab pada persidangan Dewan Rakyat, hari ini.

Source: http://www.mohr.gov.my/index.php/ms/archives/92-archive-news/294-gaji-minimum-tidak-boleh-lebih-rm800-di-sabah-sarawak

Read More

Borneo rights talk not ‘threat’ to Federation

It could mean that demands are being made because there was something lacking in the process of implementing promises.

KOTA KINABALU: The view from academia in Borneo is that any discussion on the rights issue should not be viewed by the Federal Government as a security threat to the Federation. These discussions have been hogging the limelight in the media, social media and public forums especially since 2013, the 50th year since the word Malaysia was officially used to include the Sabah and Sarawak parts of Borneo as well.

Any discussion on these rights, said Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Professor Dr. Kamarulzaman Askandar, is within the context of the circumstances surrounding 1963 when Sabah, along with Sarawak and Singapore found itself in a Federation with the peninsula. “It should not be viewed by the Federal Government as a security threat,” reiterated Kamarulzaman who heads the International relations Programme at UMS. “It’s not a security issue but rather we need to work on finding what it is that caused for such demands (within the context of the rights issues) to arise and why.”

He was elaborating on his academic paper presented on the topic, “Conflicts, Peace and Nation Building” at the Nation Building Seminar at the YTL Auditorium, UMS, on Wednesday.

“When trying to diagnose an illness, for instance, the key was to inspect internally rather than to simply rely on surface analysis,” said Kamarulzaman.”

Hence, he added, rather than consuming efforts on searching for and apprehending individuals promoting secession, more efforts should instead be put into understanding the core areas on which such demands were built. “The people involved in the secession issue based their movement on points such as where Sabah and Sarawak stood at the time of Malaysia’s formation, division of power, distribution of development priorities, and so on,” he pointed out.

The concept of nation in this country, he conceded, was still vague. “But never be afraid of variety because that is where our strength instead of weakness lies, so long as we find the proper balance.”

Earlier, in answering questions from the floor during the question and answer session after his talk, on whether the demands made by Sabah were reasonable, Kamarulzaman said: “There’s a need to determine whether or not the demands are reasonable.”

“When there are things formally promised through an agreement, like the 20-Point Agreement in Sabah’s case, for example, it could mean that demands are being made because there was something lacking in the process of implementing promises,” said the don. “I think it’s reasonable to expect consistent supply of electricity for instance, or for roads to be in good condition, for remote villages to get the basic necessities, or for all children to get quality education.”

Finding the right balance is the answer, said Kamarulzaman, in finding solutions for peace among all communities in Malaysia. “If there’s imbalance in priorities and a certain group gets a bigger slice of the cake, dissatisfaction is bound to surface.”

And in the context where a certain group of people receive more benefits and more opportunities than the rest, he cautioned, there will come a time when the oppressed – those who are not getting what they want and need, or simply not getting what they were promised – will revolt or at least voice their cry for their rights and values to be upheld.

Source: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2015/03/20/borneo-rights-talk-not-threat-to-federation/

Read More

Secession group says willing to go to jail to uphold Sabah rights

KOTA KINABALU, March 20 ― Frustrated and tired of being denied rights in their own land, the four volunteers of the outlawed Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia (SSKM) movement now say they are willing to go to jail in order for their views to be heard.

Jemmy Liku Markus Ratu, 32, Erick Jack William, 28, Joseph Kolis, 29 and Azrie Situ, 24, were charged last week under the Sedition Act for being in possession of pamphlets allegedly propagating Sabah’s secession from the federation.

“If fighting for our rights will land us in jail, then so be it. We have to do what it takes to be heard. This is the sacrifices we have to make for the cause we believe in,” said Azrie, the youngest of the four.

“People get the wrong impression that we are pushing for secession, because of the Facebook group name (SSKM, or Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia), but it is just a name to attract attention.

“What we are really aiming to do is to spread awareness of the formation of Malaysia and the breach of the Malaysia Agreement 1963,” Erick told Malay Mail Online.

According to Erick, all SSKM wants to is a thorough review of the agreement, and whether its conditions were being adhered to.

“How is expressing ourselves and fighting for our rights seditious?” he asked.

Despite facing the possibility of being thrown in jail for a maximum of 18 months or a fine of RM2,000 or both, the four remain committed to SSKM’s goals.

Jemmy, a half-Kadazan, half-Timorese said that they knew the risks getting into the movement, which they claimed were under a UK-based NGO, Sabah-Sarawak Union, founded by Doris Jones, the woman wanted by police here for allegedly masterminding the SSKM movement online.

“Someone has to do it, and we are tired of relying on our leaders who do not seem to understand what we are going through, and the struggles we face,” he said.

The litany of grievances cited by the four are not new ― land grabs, the influx of illegal immigrants, comparative lack of infrastructure and development, distortion of historical facts regarding Malaysia’s formation as well as oil royalty rights.

According to them, the SSKM movement on Facebook has attracted like-minded Sabahans of all races and religions and age groups.

The SSKM group page itself has garnered over 32,000 “Likes” while more supporters “follow” their leader Doris Jones’s profile for motivation and support.

“Everyone does things on their own willing. During the recent incident in Tuaran, there were many of us, up to 50, and everyone came on their own.

“We didn’t even know who else was part of the group,” said Azrie, adding that the bail amount of RM10,000 each for court was raised entirely from volunteer’s donations.

The four were also part of the “Tuaran 9” who were arrested for allegedly possessing seditious pamphlets last February in the Tuaran tamu grounds.

Their lawyer, Tengku Fuad Ahmad, said that the four were clearly very dedicated to their cause and were ready to go to jail for it.

“I have never met such  people who are so very sincerely committed to the issue of Sabah's rights within Malaysia. 

“My duty is strictly limited to defending them but one cannot help but respect the four because at heart they are idealists; persons committed to the protection and promotion of Sabah rights,” he said when contacted by Malay Mail Online.

All four had pleaded not guilty to the charge under Section 4 (2) of the Sedition Act 1948. The hearing is on May 18 to 22.

Source: http://m.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/secession-group-says-willing-to-go-to-jail-to-uphold-sabah-rights#sthash.uUfua5Z1.5PgHoUFX.dpuf

Read More

4 lelaki ditahan hasut rakyat Sabah, Sarawak keluar Malaysia

Empat lelaki didakwa mengikut Akta Hasutan 1948 di Kota Kinabalu hari ini kerana membuat pungutan suara mengajak penduduk Sabah dan Sarawak meninggalkan Malaysia, lapor The Star Online.

Pungutan suara itu dikatakan mempunyai kaitan dengan laman web Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia yang menggalakkan kedua-dua negeri Borneo itu meninggalkan persekutuan Malaysia, menurut portal berita berkenaan.

Empat tertuduh itu ialah Azrie Situ, 25, Suleiman Liku Markus Situ, 32, Erick Jack William, 29, dan Joseph Kolis, 29, yang mengaku bersalah di Mahkamah Sesyen Kota Kinabalu selepas pertuduhan dibacakan di depan Hakim Dean Wayne Dally.

Mereka didakwa mengikut Seksyen 4(2) Akta Hasutan 1948.

Keempat-empat tertuduh dibebaskan dengan ikat jamin RM20,000 dan seorang penjamin serta perlu menyerahkan passport masing-masing.

Menurut portal itu empat tertuduh berkenaan adalah antara 9 yang ditahan pada 1 Februari lalu kerana memiliki bahan menghasut. Mereka dilaporkan mengedarkan risalah mengenai hak Sabah dan petisyen untuk menyokong hak mereka.

Laman Facebook Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia dikendalikan seorang aktivis Sabah, Doris Jones yang kini menetap di London. Laman sosial berkenaan kini mempunyai lebih 32,000 “likes”.

Polis Sabah sudah mengeluarkan waran untuk menahannya tetapi Jones memberitahu media tempatan dia tidak mendengar daripada mana-mana pihak berkuasa atau polis antarabangsa (Interpol) mengenai waran itu.

Pada 13 Mac, polis berkata, mereka sudah menghubungi Jones.

Pungutan suara berkenaan boleh ditakrifkan sebagai menghasut mengikut Akta Hasutan selepas Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak berkata bahawa undang-undang itu akan dikekal dan diperkukuhkan.

Perbuatan itu ketika ini memberikan lingkungan luas kepada pihak berkuasa untuk memutuskan takrifan hasutan.

Keempat-empat tertuduh diwakili peguam Arthur Chin.

Sementara itu, sekumpulan kira-kira 100 penyokong  dilapor hadir di depan mahkamah hari ini sebagai tanda sokongan.

Antaranya individu yang hadir ialah bekas Ketua Menteri Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee, yang kini menyertai pembangkang.

Pungutan suara di kalangan nasionalis Sabah semakin meningkat sejak kebelakangan ini terhadap kesedaran orang ramai mengenai soal kemiskinan, imigresen dan isu politik seperti "Projek IC", satu langkah untuk mengubah demografi dan daftar pemilih di negeri ini dengan mengeluarkan kad pengenalan kepada pendatang. – 16 Mac, 2015.

Source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/bahasa/article/4-lelaki-ditahan-hasut-rakyat-sabah-sarawak-keluar-malaysia#sthash.rjfHGpZO.dpuf

Read More

Abusing the Private Member’s Bill – Chan Foong Hin

This is an open letter to Parliament Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin.

The Shariah Criminal Code Enactment II 1993 amendments tabling by PAS-led Kelantan state government in the state assembly sitting today in Kota Baru, symbolises a no U-turn as far as the hudud debate is concerned. It marks the very first step towards implementation of the theocratic law in Kelantan.

No one can predict what would happen to Malaysia in future, if the next step – Private Member’s Bill is tabled and then passed in the Parliament, allowing Kelantan to implement its hudud law.

It is wrong for PAS to justify their move by saying that “the situation in Kelantan is so unique that even Umno is supporting these amendments” (Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad)  and “please respect the democratic proses in Kelantan” (PAS information chief Datuk Mahfuz Omar).

It is not about uniqueness of Kelantan and respecting the people’s will. I respect every right and will of Kelantan state to implement hudud there. But it can’t be done in the expense of equal partnership spirit of Malaysia Agreement 1963.

As I have argued in my previous article that, hudud is not about a personal religious practice involving Muslims only, but it is a matter of political system involving all Malaysians.

The Ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution categorically places “Civil and criminal law and procedure and the administration of justice” under Federal List. If any state-level hudud is allowed, it is a blow to Federal Constitution, as it places the particular state (Kelantan) to be more superior then other states as the power on criminal justice under Federal List transferred to State List, without consultation by the other states.

The argument that hudud will be confined to Kelantan is inaccurate as once the amendments are approved and passed, all other states might also proceed to make similar changes.

As the honourable speaker is from Sabah, I think you have no dispute that it is a consensus for every Sabah politician across the political divide that:

1. The rights and freedom of Sabahans must be defended and never compromised, not only in Sabah, but in other parts of Malaysia;

2. The rights and privileges of Sabah as one of the three nations forming Malaysia in 1963 must be defended and not compromised.

We from Sabah never signed up for a theocratic federation – in full or in part – in 1963. Criminal justice is categorically a Federal power under the Ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution. If it was made clear then Sabahans will face the shariah criminal law in Kelantan by forming Malaysia, I think Sabah would have surely chosen to stay under British or go independent in other ways over the option of Malaysia.

The implementation of Kelantan Shariah Criminal Code 1993 will land those from Sabah staying in or traveling to Kelantan in a legal system that the founding fathers of Sabah did not sign up for in 1963, with the following consequences:

(a) If he or she – regardless of faith – fell prey to thefts, robberies, bodily harms included attempted murder and manslaughter in Kelantan committed by Muslims, their cases will be tried in the shariah court, and not common law court.

(b) Sabah crime victims cannot be the witness in court for their own case if they are non-Muslim, women, underage Muslims or Muslims with questionable religious conducts (Section 41 of the Code).

(c) If Sabahan Muslims are accused of stealing or robbing of anything worth more than 4.45g of gold (about RM 610 at current price), they will be tried in shariah court and may face the punishment of amputation.

(d) All Sabahan Muslims who are convicted of adultery or sodomy in Kelantan may face death penalty by way of stoning [Sections 10, 11(1) and 16].

(e) All Sabahan Muslims who are convicted of drinking in Kelantan may face 40 to 80 lashes [Section 22].

(f) All Sabahan Muslims who are convicted of undermining or opposing the Islamic faith (menjejaskan atau berlawanan dengan aqidah agama Islam) through actions or expression may face death and his/her property may be confiscated.

Any changes to this effect must only happen with the consent of both Sabah and Sarawak. Article 161A of the Federal Constitution stipulates that any constitutional amendment involving division of power between federal and state governments must not only be passed by a two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat, but also requiring the concurrence of the governors of Sabah and Sarawak.

If Sabah were to agree to grant Kelantan additional power in criminal justice, we from Sabah would like more power to Sabah including citizenship, education, medical, policing and military, trade and commerce, etc.

The collusion by the Federal Government and Kelantan government to make possible of expanding Kelantan's power to cover criminal justice system under Article 76A, which denies the power of both the 57 parliamentarians from Sabah (including Labuan) and Sarawak and the governors of Sabah and Sarawak to have any say, is a constitutional coup against Sabah and Sarawak.

If Kelantan – which unsuccessfully opposed the formation of Malaysia through a constitutional challenge in 1963 –  insists that the state can do anything it likes with the consent of Putrajaya and makes itself higher than other states especially Sabah and Sarawak which are on par with the entire Malaya, it should consider leaving Malaysia.

Instead of Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia, Kelantan Keluar Malaysia will be more apt.

The Parliamentary Speaker has every duty to prevent any private member's bill that is tantamount to nullifying the Malaysia Agreement and tearing Malaysia apart from being tabled. Honourable Speaker, you hold the key to save Federation of Malaysia from tearing apart. Please reject the PAS private member bill to safeguard the aspirations of the people of Sabah and Malaysian interests. – March 18, 2015.

Source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/parliament-speaker-should-not-allow-abuse-of-private-members-bill-chan-foon

Read More

Countries that aren't quite.

This map shows all the states in the world that have some kind of independence movement, but that independence hasn't been declared, or not recognised by other states.

***Can you see Sabah (formerly known as North Borneo) and Sarawak Flag???***

Source: http://blacksamcashinterestingthigs.blogspot.com/2010/09/countries-that-arent-quite.html

Read More

Koleksi Video SSKM-SSU(UK)

Sila luangkan masa anda untuk menonton video-video SSKM-SSU(UK) melalui link ini;

>>>Koleksi Video SSKM-SSU(UK)<<<

Selain video SSKM-SSU(UK), pihak kami juga ada menyelitkan video-video yang berkaitan dengan Negara Sabah dan Negara Sarawak. Pendedahan tentang sejarah sebenar dan penipuan turut juga diselitkan dalam blog Koleksi Video SSKM-SSU(UK). Kini, anda tidak perlu bersusah-payah untuk mencarinya didalam youtube kerana semuanya boleh didapati dalam blog tersebut. Sila sebarkan kepada rakan-rakan anda tentang kewujudan blog Koleksi Video SSKM-SSU(UK) ini.

Semoga anda semua dapat menonton video-video tersebut dan mendapat mesej yang jelas bahawa Negara Sabah dan Negara Sarawak MESTI BERPISAH daripada persekutuan malaysia ini kerana kewujudannya kini bukan lagi untuk memberikan kebaikan kepada Bangsa Negara Sabah dan Bangsa Negara Sarwak sebaliknya ia telah menindas selama 53 tahun ini sejah 16 September 1963.

Sebarkan...

Read More

Pengasas SABAH SARAWAK UNION (SSU-UK)

Mungkin anda tertanya-tanya tentang siapakah pengasas kepada Sabah Sarawak Union (SSU-UK). Maka, persoalan anda kini sudah terjawab melalui perkongsian info ini. Ya, SSU(UK) telah ditubuhkan oleh Dua orang Nationalist Borneo daripada Negara Sabah dan Negara Sarawak di United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK).

SSU(UK) berhak bercakap bagi pihak Negara Sabah dan Negara Sarawak kerana NGO ini adalah NGO Borneo yang memfokuskan kepada Kemerdekaan Negara Sabah dan Negara Sarawak. Ia telah ditubuhkan pada pada Tahun 2013.

Sebarkan info ini kepada semua rakyat Negara Sabah dan Negara Sarawak bahawa NGO ini adalah milik bersama...

Read More

What next for independence movements in Europe?

The EU – and its member-states – should not rest on their laurels: these independence movements are only going to get stronger.

One can imagine that the European Commission breathed a collective sigh of relief when the results of the Scottish independence referendum were announced on 19 September 2014.

The independence referendum had created a headache - if not a chronic migraine - for officials in Brussels, in trying to figure out whether Scotland would have to leave the EU and then reapply for membership (under Treaty 49, which was the official preference of former President Barroso and the Better Together campaign) or if it would allow Scotland to remain in by amending the EU treaties (under Treaty 48, the preferred choice of Yes campaigners and some dissident Commission officials).

If the process was seen as too easy, there were fears amongst the anti-independence camp (and parallel hopes amongst pro-secessionists) that this would cause a domino-effect across the continent as other stateless nations with aspirations towards independence in Europe would jump onto the indyref bandwagon.

But was this sigh of relief premature? For one thing, Scotland hasn’t been the only territory with an independence referendum on the cards this year. All eyes turned to Catalonia last weekend, where a non-binding vote on independence was held on Sunday 9 November. The Catalan authorities had previously planned to hold an official referendum on Catalan’s future, but this was suspended by the Spanish Constitutional Court. Judges and politicians in Madrid have viewed the referendum as illegal and an egregious affront the notion of indissoluble Spanish sovereignty.

Madrid’s stern views scuppered a similar proposal in the Basque Country in 2008, whereby proposals to hold an independence referendum, which were passed by the Basque regional assembly, were ruled down by Madrid as unconstitutional.

These stern warnings did not stop the Catalan authorities this time, however. The unofficial poll was a success for Catalan independence-seeking parties: 80% of those who participated (about 2 million people) voted in favour of independence. While it is difficult to argue that the vote in favour of independence is binding with a turnout of 37%, it is an undeniably strong indication that Catalans want constitutional change.

The poll, however, has amplified the Commission’s migraine. Unlike the Scotland-UK case, whereby the UK Government agreed to holding the independence referendum in Scotland and promised to abide by the outcome (in the ground-breaking ‘Edinburgh Agreement’ of 2012), the ‘democratic will’ of the Catalan people has been slapped down by Spanish Prime Minister Rajoy, who has forbidden any future referendums and has attacked the recent poll as ‘political propaganda’.

What should the EU do? At the moment, the official position is to keep its head down and say nothing about the internal affairs of one of its valued member-states. But will this strategy work when more independence referendums – official or unofficial – add more cracks in the sovereignty of the EU’s currency member-states?

For Scotland and Catalonia are not the only cases of independence aspirations in the EU. The next country to watch, without a doubt, is Italy, whereby a poll released last month by Demos showed that 31% of Italians wanted their region to become independent, a figure that was significantly higher in several autonomist regions.

The highest was Veneto, a wealthy northern region of Italy with a strong identity, where 53% of survey participants preferred secession. This reflects the success of the nationalist parties in Veneto – most notably the governing Liga Veneta-Lega Nord (LV-LN) – in agitating for independence. The regional assembly passed a bill in June this year to hold a referendum on independence, and President of the Region Luca Zaia of the LNV promised that he would see this through.

These events follow an unofficial referendum in Veneto earlier this year in March, supported by several nationalist parties, whereby 89% of participants voted to leave Italy. While the legitimacy of the poll is questionable (as many Latin Americans of Venetian descent voted), another survey by La Repubblica has confirmed the Demos poll, showing that about 55% of Venetians want independence. And if and when the plebiscite is held, given these high numbers in favour of secession, there may be a greater possibility of success than in Catalonia or Scotland. However, everything will ultimately down to the Italian Constitutional Court which, like its Spanish counterpart, views consultative referenda on the fragmentation of the Italian state as illegal.

An unofficial referendum was also held in the German-speaking province of South Tyrol in 2013, which lies on the northern periphery of Italy and which was previously annexed from Austria. Here, over 90% of participants expressed their support for self-determination, and the pro-independence Sud-Tiroler Freiheit went on to win its highest share of the vote in the subsequent regional elections. The issue of secession from Italy is unlikely to go away, not least because it is the ultimate goal of the South Tyrol People’s Party, which has ruled the province throughout the post-war period.

Next up is Sardinia, an island in the Mediterranean, which contains the oldest nationalist party in Italy and one of the oldest in Europe. The Partito Sardo d’Azione, whose electoral fortunes has risen and fallen over the past century, failed by one vote to pass an independence referendum bill in the Sardinian regional assembly in 2012. It would also appear that there is some public support for the Partito Sardo’s position, even if the party itself is lagging behind in the polls. In a collaborative project with the University of Cagliari that for the first time surveyed the attitudes of Sardinians on issues of identity and constitutional change, we found that 41% of Sards wanted independence, and a whopping 87% were in favour for greater devolved powers for the island.

These findings were confirmed in the Demos poll last month, which revealed that 45% of Sardinian participants were in favour of independence. The regional government is currently working on re-writing Sardinia’s special statute (constitutional law) to enhance the island’s fiscal, social and cultural powers. If these powers are not forthcoming, it is likely that the Psd’Az and other nationalist parties will succeed in their next motion to have an independence referendum, raising more questions for the Italian Constitutional Court on how to proceed.

And finally, few people now believe that the question of independence has been put to bed in Scotland. With a recent poll showing majority support for independence, the SNP’s surge in new members, and the self-implosion of the SNP’s main competitor – the Scottish Labour Party - it may only be a matter of time before Scots vote again.

The EU – and its member-states – should not rest on their laurels: these movements are not going to go away. Ironically, the EU appeared to have undercut independence demands in the 1990s by giving sustenance to the idea of a ‘Europe of the Regions’ whereby substate regions could sit alongside – or even replace – the states in the governance of Europe. However, when these hopes were dashed with the state-reifying bias of the Lisbon Treaty, nationalist movements across Europe radicalised their demands in favour of independence in a Europe of the States, as this now seemed to be the only way to get a seat on the top table of the Council of the EU.

The onus is now on the EU to figure out how internal secession within its borders might actually work – because there are now several wannabe states knocking on its doors. If the citizenry of these ‘stateless nations’ believe that their future is best secured with the trappings of statehood, the resulting configuration would be a ‘Europe’ fractured into a number of smaller territorial entities.

Ironically, this map of Europe may be very familiar to historians. Once upon a time, before the rise of the modern nation-state in the nineteenth century, Europe was a patchwork of city-states and small self-governing regions. ‘Small is beautiful’ was the mantra then; with the spread of independence referenda, are we seeing the natural return to this model?

Source: https://www.opendemocracy.net/can-europe-make-it/eve-hepburn/what-next-for-independence-movements-in-europe

Read More

Cobbold Commission

Introduction

The Cobbold Commission, was a Commission of Enquiry set up to determine whether the people of North Borneo (now Sabah) and Sarawak supported the proposal to create the Malaysia consisting of Malaya, Brunei, Singapore, North Borneo, and Sarawak. It was also responsible for the subsequent drafting of the Constitution of Malaysia prior to the formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963. The Commission was headed by former Bank of England governor, Lord Cobbold.

Members

Members of the Commission were:

1. Lord Cobbold, former Governor of the Bank of England, chairman of the Commission
2. Wong Pow Nee, Chief Minister of Penang,
3. Ghazali Shafie, Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
4. Anthony Abell, former Governor of Sarawak
5. David Watherston, former Chief Secretary of Malaya.

Report

The Commission released its findings, report and recommendations on 1 August 1962. It concluded that the formation of Malaysia should be implemented. However, Lord Cobbold also stressed that all parties enter the federation as equal partners. The findings were summarised by Lord Cobbold as follows:

"About one-third of the population of each territory strongly favours early realisation of Malaysia without too much concern about terms and conditions. Another third, many of them favourable to the Malaysia project, ask, with varying degrees of emphasis, for conditions and safeguards varying in nature and extent: the warmth of support among this category would be markedly influenced by a firm expression of opinion by Governments that the detailed arrangements eventually agreed upon are in the best interests of the territories. The remaining third is divided between those who insist on independence before Malaysia is considered and those who would strongly prefer to see British rule continue for some years to come. If the conditions and reservations which they have put forward could be substantially met, the second category referred to above would generally support the proposals. Moreover once a firm decision was taken quite a number of the third category would be likely to abandon their opposition and decide to make the best of a doubtful job. There will remain a hard core, vocal and politically active, which will oppose Malaysia on any terms unless it is preceded by independence and self-government: this hard core might amount to near 20 per cent of the population of Sarawak and somewhat less in North Borneo."

Lord Cobbold, Cobbold Commission

Table of Content

COMPOSITION OF THE COMMISSION

TERM OF REFERENCE

INTRODUCTION

1. 1. ENQUIRY IN SARAWAK
2. ENQUIRY IN NORTH BORNEO
3. ASSESSMENT OF EVIDENCE
4. RECOMMENDATIONS
   A-Recommendations on certain general matters
   B-Recommendations by Sir Anthony Abell and Sir David Watherston
   C-Recommendations by Dato Wong Pow Nee and Enche Mohammed Ghazali bin Shafie
   D-Summary of Recommendations in Sections B and C, and Comments, by the Chairman
5. OTHER MATTERS
6. THANKS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Appendices

   A. Itinerary

   B. Census Abstract

   C. Cardinal Principles of the rule of the English Rajah

   D. Legal Meaning of the Term "Native"

   E. North Borneo and Sarawak Governments Papers on Malaysia

   F. "Memorandum on Malaysia" Submitted by the Malaysia Solidarity Consultative Committee

   Map of the Borneo Territories

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobbold_Commission

Download Document:

• Report of the Commission of Enquiry, North Borneo and Sarawak, 1962 also known as the Cobbold Commission

Read More