Bersih's 'Borneo veto' debate invitation insincere, says academic

Electoral reform group Bersih has called for a debate on the issue of giving one-third of parliamentary seats to Sabah and Sarawak, between two prominent intellectuals on opposing sides of the issue.

However, while one told Malaysiakini that he accepted the invitation, the other denounced Bersih’s invitation as “insincere”.

This came after Bersih issued a press statement yesterday following the conclusion of its “Road to Reform” road show that included a forum on the topic.

In the press release, the group called for a national dialogue to discuss provisions of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), particularly the percentage of parliamentary seats that should be allocated to Sabah and Sarawak, citing “active interest and encouraging responses” on the issue.

“To initiate this dialogue, Bersih proposes an open debate between two prominent intellectuals representing different perspectives, namely Professor Wong Chin Huat and Professor James Chin; both hold contrasting views but ultimately share a similar goal of upholding the rights of Sabah and Sarawak as envisioned in MA63.

“In the interest of transparency, integrity and democratic values, we propose an open and honest debate wary of sentiment, naming, shaming or blaming - rather to discuss the issue of the demand for one-third of parliamentary seats for the regions of Sabah and Sarawak to obtain veto power as a national issue involving the interests of Malaysian federalism, the value and equality of the vote, and all citizens,” it added.

When contacted, Wong, who is deputy head at Sunway University’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network and a member of the group Projek Sama, told Malaysiakini he had accepted the invitation.

‘Riding on my name’

On the other hand, Chin, who is a professor of Asian studies at the University of Tasmania, described the invitation as an insincere political gimmick.

He said Bersih could have easily invited him to join its roadshow as they had done with Wong, but they did not.

He also questioned Bersih for openly calling for the debate and mentioning him in their press release, even though many Bersih activists know him personally and could have approached him directly instead.

Chin said his friends in Sabah and Sarawak told him that his name had come up frequently during Bersih’s roadshow because he takes the opposing view to Bersih and many wondered why he was not invited to the roadshow.

He claimed this was why Bersih is now dragging him into the debate.

“By dragging me into it, they know that some people in Sabah and Sarawak watching carefully might take part. So, they are sort of riding on my name as well.

“It's hypocritical because as I said earlier, they could have easily invited me on their recent road trip. I could have easily come in through Zoom (like Wong).

“The fact that they didn't do it means they were already insincere. So that's why I call it a very colonial mentality - They come in and tell us what to do.

“Remember, Sabah and Sarawak formed the Federation of Malaysia thinking of getting rid of the White colonial masters. We will not replace it with Malayans,” he told Malaysiakini last night.

Senatorial seats

In conjunction with Malaysia Day celebrations last month, Projek Sama had proposed what it called the “Dewan Negara 35/100” which entails granting 17 senatorial seats each to Sabah and Sarawak, and one to Labuan.

The group argued this would allow East Malaysia to block constitutional amendments it deemed detrimental to its interests. It is also easier to implement than allocating one-third of Dewan Rakyat seats to East Malaysia, as proposed by proponents of MA63.

Bersih and several other groups subsequently issued a joint statement backing Projek Sama’s proposal, which was also met with pushback from several Borneo-based groups.

Chin reiterated his position that Sabah and Sarawak should have one-third of Dewan Rakyat seats instead, not the Dewan Negara which was not even mentioned in MA63.

The document stipulates that the Dewan Rakyat shall comprise 159 members, with 104 (65.4 percent) from Malaya, 16 (10 percent) from Sabah, 24 (15 percent) from Sarawak, and 15 (9.4 percent) from Singapore.

This gives the territories outside Malaya 34.6 percent of the House, which Chin argued is a crucial safeguard agreed upon by Malaysia’s founding members. He said restoring this to Sabah and Sarawak would rectify a historical mistake made in 1965 when Singapore left the federal without its seats being reallocated between the two states.

The Dewan Rakyat today comprises 222 seats, with 57 of them (25.7 percent) hailing from East Malaysia including one seat from the federal territory of Labuan.

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