The
union of the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak with the
Federation of Malaya was never a marriage made in heaven. Like most
relationships, one partner is doing all the giving, whilst the other is
happy not to contribute. When cracks begin to show, and the wife demands
a separation, to start afresh, that is the point when most husbands try
to make amends. The cries for Sabah and Sarawak to be independent, are
growing louder.
The Malaya-Sabah-Sarawak threesome is more like a
polygamous marriage, with peninsular Malaysia assuming the role of the
polygamous Malay husband; Sabah and Sarawak his two wives.
If
anecdotal evidence is to be believed, many polygamous husbands are quite
content to sponge off their young wives, and like many chauvinists,
assert their authority at home, by barking orders at their spouses.
Najib Abdul Razak may think he has the upper hand in this union, but he
knows that without the support of Sabah and Sarawak, Umno Baru will lose
power.
In his Malaysia Day message, Najib declared that both
Sabah and Sarawak would not be allowed to lag behind and that all states
would receive equal development. Similarly, good polygamous Muslim
husbands should treat their wives equally, although the reality is very
different.
Najib has a penchant for overseas trips and people
have wondered if he is bored with domestic issues, and prefers strutting
around in the international arena. There are always people who think
that the grass is greener on the other side, or those who wish to avoid
the tedium of a humdrum relationship.
The oil and resource-rich
states of Sabah and Sarawak are analogous to working mothers. The
revenue which they earn, helps to pay the monthly bills. After slogging
at the day job, working mothers come home and continue with the
household chores, whilst her husband (the PM) sits watching television,
feet up, a drink in his hand, ‘ta pau’ on his lap and a remote in the
other hand, as he flicks from one channel to another.
As the
father sits absorbed with the ongoing reality TV of Umno Baru plots and
sub-plots, his babies scream in hunger and needing a change of diapers.
He ignores them. The babies are like the vulnerable communities in the
interior, who are desperate for decent housing, clean water and basic
infrastructure like roads, clinics, schools and electricity.
Around
him, the older children in this large, unplanned family, end up
fighting each other, when they fail to get their father’s attention. The
head of the house does not know how to be a father-figure, nor does he
know how to administer discipline. Feeling remorseful, he gives more
money and treats to quieten the children. He is unaware he has started a
vicious circle of entitlement.
If the sons in the family are
analogous to bumiputeras and the daughters the non-bumiputeras, it goes
without saying that sons are often spoilt with material goods and cash
handouts.
Daughters are expected to pull their weight around the
house and help with the chores. Most will harbour secret thoughts of
leaving home, to escape the drudgery. If they are at school, they will
try and excel. If they can pick up a skill, they will try and make this
into a means of earning a living. They remain focused because the end
result is to improve their lives.
Confusing parental love with treats
Neglected-but-spoilt
sons soon confuse parental love with expensive treats. They become
irresponsible, they lack boundaries, they misbehave because they have
learnt to manipulate their parents.
For 50 years, Umno Baru
politicians have systematically looted and plundered the natural wealth
of Sabah and Sarawak for their own benefit. In the analogy of the
working mother, 95 percent of her wage is reserved for her husband
whilst she struggles to manage her household with the remaining 5
percent.
The husband who has moved his distant relatives into
the marital home, to keep an eye on his wife, is inviting trouble. This
must be what the Sabahans feel, when they are forced to share their
country with 1.7 million illegal immigrants.
In the early
years, the children of this Malaya-Sabah-Sarawak union claimed that life
was hard, but they were carefree. Today, a pressure-cooker situation
exists with restrictions on the children’s movements, their intolerable
cramped quarters and a mismanagement of the housekeeping money.
In
the film, ‘Kramer vs Kramer’, a little boy is made to testify and
choose whether he wants to stay with his mother or father, after his
parents’ divorce. Today, the irony is that there are many East
Malaysians who wish to see a separation of Malaysia, because their
mothers, (Sabah and Sarawak) are not treated as equals by their abusive
father (Malaya). Will Najib agree to a referendum for the independence
of Sabah and Sarawak from Malaysia?
The Malaya-Sabah-Sarawak
union has not been a mutually beneficial partnership and some will
consider the break-up a tragedy. Divorce is never cheap and potentially,
messy.
How will the Sabahans deal with the illegal immigrants
brought in by former PM Mahathir Mohamad? There would be a humanitarian
crisis and possible bloodshed, if there was a forced exodus of illegal
foreign residents.
Will Sabah and Sarawak keep all the military hardware (ships, aircraft and submarines) that are on their territory?
Membership
of Asean and the UN would have to be re-negotiated, and international
borders assigned. What happens to Labuan? Will Sabah and Sarawak mint
new currencies? New banking, currency and tax policies will have to be
addressed. Both east and west Malaysians are widely dispersed throughout
Malaysia. Immigration rules and work permit requirements will have to
be re-drawn.
Will Sabah and Sarawak keep 100 percent of their
oil revenue or are there hefty penalties in the petroleum treaty which
was signed decades ago? The upheaval will impact heavily on spending, on
both sides of the South China Sea.
As in any divorce
settlement, some assets, such as gold reserves, will have to be divided.
Will it be based on the population density or another formula?
The
people advocating for independence will doubtless be working out the
logistics of this exercise. Divorce may be painful and expensive, but
the freedom is worth every penny.
MARIAM MOKHTAR is a
defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army and
president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO).
