State Reform Party (Star Sabah) has urged Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Umno leaders in Putrajaya  to sit up, listen and take cognisance of the “partial autonomy” call made by a Sabah Umno leader.

The leader, Salleh Said Keruak, urged that Sabah and Sarawak be granted partial autonomy because  the present system did not give them any independence in decision-making on key issues concerning the two states.

“The statement made by Salleh is consistent with the spirit and basis of the Malaysia Agreement and the 20/18 Points.

“We welcome the statement from the Umno leader Salleh Said (right),” Star Sabah chief Jeffrey Kitingan said, pointing out that such statement was long overdue.

Jeffrey was reacting to the statement made by Salleh in his blog last Sunday.

Salleh, who is the Sabah Speaker and Sabah Umno deputy chairperson, said the present system under which Putrajaya practically ran the two states did not go down well with them.

He reckoned that it was crucial for the BN to prove to Sabah and Sarawak voters that it respects the spirit of Malaysia Agreement and the 18/20 Points memoranda, reminding politicians from  both BN and Pakatan Rakyat that the two states were their ‘fixed deposits’.

“Without Sabah and Sarawak, both BN and Pakatan will not be able to form the federal government. It is important for this proposal to be considered soon, as Sarawak will have its state election in about a year, followed by Sabah within two years,” Salleh said.

“Sabahans and Sarawakians must be made to feel they are partners in Malaysia and not servants of (peninsula) colonialists,” he had written in his blog.

'Autonomy should not be a political gimmick'

In a statement issued last night, Jeffrey said autonomy for the two states should not be compromised and it needed to be sincerely implemented and be an empty and hollow rhetoric or political gimmick.

“Granting Sabah and Sarawak partial autonomy just to retain Umno/BN’s hold on power in Putrajaya is not a wise move or the right approach.

“Sabah’s autonomy and rights as an equal partner in the Federation of Malaysia, equal to Malaya and Sarawak, are not mere words to please the people in Sabah.

“True Sabahans will not accept hollow talk, as autonomy is a right of Sabah and Sarawak when they agreed to form the Federation of Malaysia and therefore, not negotiable,” Jeffrey said.

The federal government, he added, should heed the voice of the people of Sabah.

Meanwhile, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) expressed full support for the idea of partial autonomy as suggested by Salleh as this would facilitate state-level decisions and enhance the efficiency of the government’s delivery system.

PBS president Joseph Pairin Kitingan (above, left), who is also Sabah deputy chief minister, said there was a lot of room  for the federal government to consider.

“We can talk in terms of delegation of power. After all, if decisions can be made quickly and properly, within the level of the state and departments here, a lot of things can be achieved faster and efficiently,” Pairin was quoted as saying.

He cited one example of power delegation as authorising the state education director to approve department projects that cost RM5 million and below.