PROMINENT Sarawakian rights activist Peter John Jaban has urged the state’s Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Abang Openg (Abang Jo) and the Sarawak state assembly to declare the Sarawak’s full autonomy within the terms of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) during a special sitting on July 7.
Responding to speculation in the media that the sitting will focus specifically on electoral reforms, the Global Human Rights Federation (GHRF) deputy president believes that Sarawak would be better served by unilaterally declaring the autonomy it was promised when the state agreed to be part of Malaysia in 1963.
“Although the MA63 special Cabinet Committee has been in place since 2018, the matter pertaining to our autonomy has been dragged out in discussions with Putra Jaya for long enough,” lamented Jaban in a statement.
“The push to provide redress of the historical loss of seats in the Federal parliament and most importantly, the veto power of the Borneo states as enshrined in MA63, is non-negotiable.”
As it is, the Sarawak state government under Abang Jo’s leadership has begun to reclaim Sarawak’s primacy in the form of own education, healthcare, infrastructure development and the petroleum sector (through the formation of state-owned PETROS in July 2017).
“I now hope that our Premier will maximise this opportunity of a special sitting to build on the work he has already put in place to allow Sarawak to stand on its own two feet,” suggested the Malaysian Action for Justice & Unity co- founder.
“We applaud his efforts to provide revenue streams, financial institutions an educational and healthcare ecosystem as well as air connectivity through our own airline.
“We’re all even fully used to addressing him as Premier now! He has demonstrated the potential, power and purpose of our Sarawak institutions. But it’s also the ime to realise the full restitution of Sarawak’s rights under MA63. The discussions have continued long enough.”
With a bill at in the state assembly to unilaterally declaring the state’s autonomy, Jaban is optimistic that the Sarawakian civil service will be able to start putting in place the administrative requirements needed to realise this goal.
“Much work remains to be done – the strengthening of immigration, abolition of the cabotage policy and the Borneonisation of our institutions, to name just a few,” asserted Jaban.
“But we cannot move forward while we are stuck in endless talks. This is why a special parliamentary sitting should not be focused on small outcomes.” – June 25, 2025
