COMMENT Recently, the release of details of the Hansard detailing what transpired during the debate on Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution which downgraded the status of Sarawak and Sabah from regions within Malaysia to states, broke the local news sphere and was the talk of town until now.

Many reacted with anger out of betrayal to what transpired, and they have every right to be. All of us in the state are the ‘beneficiary’ of the decision and feel the effects and consequences of the decision up to today.

This shows how decisions made by our ‘elected leaders’ have huge consequences on our own well-being and future and this further fortify the need to vote and choose our government responsibly.

As important as to know who are the parties responsible, what concerns me more as a Sarawakian of course is how should we move on from here? How can we right the wrong that was done and most importantly not allow any other factors to exacerbate what is already wrong in our current framework?

First thing I personally would love to see, is for us to move on and progress from the whole ‘regionalist’ notion that only a local party can take care of the interest of the local people.

This whole revelation basically proves that it was DAP, led by Lim Kit Siang who is a west Malaysian who objected to the amendments and stood up for the rights of Sabahan and Sarawakians. The ones that betrayed our own people were actually the ‘enemies within’; the so-called local parties, not the ‘outsiders’, the so-called ‘Malaya-based parties’.

I have consistently voiced out the fact that the competency of a political party should never be judged based on its base demographic, but rather on its ideology, framework and track record.

So these local parties should stop hiding behind these ‘regionalist’ sentiments and only throw blame on Malaya for their own failings. They should be more matured and not blame a party’s demographic but rather focus and debate on policies, frameworks and issues of public interest.

Stop painting the picture of a divide between Malaya and Sabah and Sarawak and misleading people as if issues happening in the west do not affect us. It is frustrating to see how these local parties’ only defence against national issues like taxes, subsidy cuts, widespread corruption, and of course the 1MDB mismanagement, is that it is a ‘Malaya’ issue and it somehow doesn’t concern us.

It is clear deflection, and somewhat delusional.

They should really come out and face the music, and not hide behind the veil of regionalism.

The other thing that I strongly would love to see, is something I perceived to be somewhat ‘overshadowed’ or pushed aside due to the rising need to right the wrong that was done in 1976.