Let Sabah compete with Sarawak and Malaya to see who has got better schools and universities following restoration of rights to Sabah and Sarawak

One of the biggest grouses against the Pakatan Harapan government is that it had failed to deliver its election manifesto promises.

We can be disappointed with the Pakatan Harapan government for not doing more in the 22 months before it was toppled by the undemocratic and illegal Sheraton Move political conspiracy which brought in two “backdoor” and illegitimate governments in Putrajaya – the 17-month Muhyiddin Yassin government and the 15-month Ismail Sabri government – but we must also be reasonable and realistic.

Let us look at the world – where is there a country where its government had been able to achieve in 22 months what was meant to be a five-year programme?

This is an impossible task and we must not blame the Pakatan Harapan government for failing to do the impossible.

I met privately with the then Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad in mid-2019, and impressed on him the necessity to honour the 2018 Pakatan Harapan election manifesto, and I told him that if there is any election pledge which could not be fulfilled, the Pakatan Harapan government should be frank with the people, explain the reasons, and I was sure that the people would understand. Mahathir agreed.

I had thought that after the Pakatan Harapan Presidential Council meeting on 21st February 2020 that all the doubts and theories of PH government instability had been resolved, for at the PH Presidential Council meeting, Mahathir made a commitment that he would step down as Prime Minister at the end of 2020 after the APEC meeting.

I had intended to meet the Prime Minister after the mid-term of the PH government sometime in 2021, when Anwar Ibrahim would have become the Prime Minister, but the Sheraton Move political conspiracy toppled the PH government a few days after the PH Presidential Council meeting on 21.2.2020.

It is unreasonable to expect the PH government to implement the 2018 PH Election Manifesto for it was meant for five years, and the PH government had only 22 months.

The two “backdoor” governments after the toppling of the PH government had a total of 32 months which is longer than the 22-month PH government

Have the Muhyiddin Yassin and Ismail Sabri restored the rights of Sabah and Sarawak in accordance with Malaysia Agreement 1963 when they have a longer time period than the 22 months of PH government?

In fact, we can blame the UMNO-BN government for its failures and disasters of six decades!

On July 13, 1976, when Parliament amended the Malaysian Constitution to reduce the status of Sabah and Sarawak from “territory” to “state”, all the Sabah and Sarawak MPs supported the amendment, and DAP MPs were the ones to oppose it. I also opposed the amendment. This is an example where DAP MPs were ahead of Sabah and Sarawak government MPs in protecting the status of Sabah and Sarawak as “territories” and not downgraded to that of states like those in Peninsular Malaysia.

Can the two “backdoor” governments of Muhyiddin Yassin and Ismail Sabri explain why they had failed to restore the rights of Sabah and Sarawak when they had together 32 months while Pakatan Harapan had only 22 months instead of five years?

If Anwar Ibrahim is elected as the 10th Prime Minister and forms the Federal government in Putrajaya, a second Pakatan Harapan government would fully restore the rights of Sabah and Sarawak.

Let Sabah compete with Sarawak and Malaya to see who has got better schools and universities with the restoration of rights to Sabah and Sarawak according to the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

There should be an University of Kota Kinabalu, an University of Sandakan, an University of Tawau, even an University of Lahad Datu – just as there should be an University of Kuching, an University of Sibu, an University of Miri, even an University of Sarikei.

When Sabah and Sarawak are restored the rights under the Malaysian Agreement 1963, there will be new visions and possibilities for Saah and Sarawak.

Of course, this must mean that there would be proper funding and infrastructure development following the restoration of the rights of Sabah and Sarawak under the Malaysia Agreement 1963.