More Arguments that Malaya violated the Malaysia Agreement

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2016/07/13/bopim-wants-sabahswak-pre-1976-status-restored/

 KOTA KINABALU: The UK-based Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation (Bopim), dedicated to Borneo rights, wants Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan Satem to release the two Memorandums on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) handed to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak in Putrajaya last Monday.

“The people have a right to take part in the process. They must be consulted. There must be transparency.”

At the same time, Bopim Chief Daniel John Jambun urged Adenan to push for Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution to revert to the pre-1976 definition where Sabah, Sarawak and Malaya were Equal Partners in the 1963 Federation. “There must be substance, not just form.”

“It’s pointless harping in public on whether Sabah and Sarawak were states or nations in the Federation.”

The Sabah and Sarawak Assemblies for one, he added, were not consulted and/or were not in the know on Article 1(2) being amended to reduce the status of the two Borneo nations to the 12th and 13th states in the Federation of States set up in 1948 under the Federation of Malaya Agreement, signed in London nine years before Merdeka in the peninsula.

MA63, continued Jambun, is an International Treaty signed by five governments Sabah, Sarawak, Malaya, Singapore and the United Kingdom and lodged with the UN Secretary-General. “It’s also virtually a Trust Deed although perhaps not registered as one with the UN Sec-Gen.”

The Intention of the framers of MA63, he cautioned, cannot be amended by the Malaysian Parliament or ignored by the Federal Constitution. “It was not the Intention of the Founding Fathers in Borneo for Sabah and Sarawak to federate with the states in Malaya.”

Sabah and Sarawak’s Federation in 1963 was with Malaya — not with the states in Malaya — and with Singapore as a merged entity with Malaya. “Singapore ended its merger with Malaya in 1965 and exited the Federation of 1963.”

The Malaysian Government, previously the Malayan Goverment, subsequently went into non-compliance on MA63, lamented Jambun, and incorporated Sabah and Sarawak unilaterally, under the 1976 Amendment, as the 12th and 13th states in the Malayan Federation. “The jury, in the wake of Singapore’s exit, may no longer be out on MA63.”

“However, no Court has deliberated on the matter (MA63). Until one does, in whichever direction, MA63 continues and all concerned are bound by it.”

Resuming his take on the two Memorandums, Jambun believes that they were pre-emptive moves on the part of the Sarawak Government to determine and dictate the agenda. “Adenan sensed, and rightly, that ‘negotiations and discussions’ — if the matter arises at all — with Putrajaya were likely to be long and protracted, probably even an exercise in futility and may turn out to be fruitless.”

“Anything can happen between now and then.”

The fact that Sabah under an Umno Government was not joining Sarawak in “negotiations and discussions” with the Federal Government in Putrajaya on MA63, speculated Jambun, “deepens suspicions.”

“Perhaps, Sabah knows something that Sarawak doesn’t.”

Hence, he stressed, the Memorandums set the stage for the “negotiations and discussions” on MA63. Again, reiterated Jambun, “form cannot be allowed to take precedence over substance”.

He urged the Federal Government in Putrajaya to demonstrate good faith on Article 1(2) and concede that the 1976 Amendment was null and void, ultra vires MA63 and ultra vires the Federal Constitution read in conjunction with MA63 and the related constitutional documents on Malaysia.

A very detailed analysis of the Budget Allocation for Sabah

Rosalam Sarbatly

4 July 2013 · Kota Kinabalu ·

BAJET KERAJAAN PERSEKUTUAN: Apakah Sabah mendapat agihan yang Saksama?
Hari ini saya akan membincangkan asas agihan kekayaan berdasarkan budget tahunan Negara dan sumber utama pendapatan negara. Perbincangan ini penting kerana salah satu perkara utama yang terkandung dalam pembentukan Malaysia pada tahun 1963 adalah tanggung jawab kerajaan persekutuan dalam pembangunan ekonomi selain isu keselamatan. Perbincangan agihan peruntukan menjadi lebih penting bagi meletakkan asas agihan peruntukan kekayaan negara.

1. Bajet dan Pendapatan Kerajaan Persekutuan dan Kerajaan Negeri Sabah.
Seperti sedia maklum, bajet negara yang diagihkan kepada kementerian-kementerian persekutuan berjumlah RM251.6 billion untuk tahun 2013. Sejumlah RM201.9 billion (80.2%) digunakan untuk perbelanjaan operasi manakala RM49.7 billion (19.8%) diperuntukan untuk pembangunan (Ucapan PM dalam budget 2013).
Bajet Malaysia dijana oleh dua sumber utama. PETRONAS yang meyumbang ~45% atau ~RM110 billion manakala kutipan cukai sebanyak RM124.69 billion (2012). Malaysia sebenarnya mengalami perbelanjaan defisit. Berapakah jumlah tunai sebenar kutipan negera? Apakah RM124.69 billion daripada kutipan cukai, manakala RM110 billion sumbangan PETRONAS terdiri daripada RM30 billion tunai dan selebihnya dalam bentuk susidi? Berapa pula sumbangan sumber minyak kelapa sawit, dan getah kepada ekonomi negara?
Kita mungkin boleh berbangga dengan budget RM4.088 billion tahun 2013 yang diumumkan oleh Kerajaan Negeri Sabah. Budget yang tertinggi sejak Sabah bersama-sama dalam Malaysia, tahniah diucapkan kepada Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman. Budget ini perlu diagihkan kepada tanah seluas 74,500 kilometer persegi dengan jumlah penduduk melebihi 3.5 juta orang.
Perolehan bajet negeri Sabah, RM941.25 juta disumbangkan oleh royalti minyak dan gas, manakala hampir RM1 billion lagi disumbang oleh kutipan cukai minyak kelapa sawit untuk tujuan pembangunan (2012). Jumlah budget Kerajaan Negeri Sabah sebanyak RM4.08 billion terlalu kecil berbanding budget Negara sebanyak RM251.6 billion (Budget 2013). Budget kerajaan Negeri Sabah juga adalah budget defisit, atau perbelanjaan melebihi pendapatan.
2. Berapakan anggaran sumbangan negeri Sabah kepada bajet Negara?
PETRONAS merupakan penyumbang terbesar kepada pendapatan kerajaan persekutuan dan kerajaan negeri Sabah. Perolehan PETRONAS dibahagikan kepada dua kategori utama, pendapatan dalam dan luar negara. Pendapatan dalam negara menyumbang ~60% pendapatan manakala selebihnya pendapatan aktiviti perniagaan luar negara.
Daripada 60% pendapatan dalam negara, Sabah menyumbang dalam ~30% minyak dan ~14% gas asli (rizap 2009). Secara kasar, jumlah pendapatan PETRONAS bagi aktiviti di Sabah menyumbang sebanyak 15-20%. Oleh itu, anggaran sumbangan negeri Sabah kepada budget negara melalui sumbangan dividen PETRONAS adalah dalam lingkungan RM9.9-RM13.2 billion. Petronas melabor dalam operasi pertengahan bagi membina terminal minyak di Kimanis sebanyak kos RM3.8 billion dan operasi hiliran kilang ammonia-urea di Sipitang dengan kos sebanyak RM3 billion bermula tahun 2008. selain itu, Petronas juga telah memberikan kometment untuk melabor di Kota Belud. Jumlah pelaboran sekitar RM68 billion di Sabah masih terlalu kecil jika dibandingkan perolehan dan tempoh kewujudan mereka sejak tahun 1976 di Sabah.
Mengikut kenyataan Jabatan Akauntan, cukai pendapatan yang dikutip di Sabah sebanyak RM4.42 billion pada tahun 2012 (dilaporkan semasa sidang dewan Negri Sabah). Mengikut Pengarah IRB Sabah, jumlah kutipan cukai adalah sebanyak RM3.67 billion untuk tahun 2012. Selain itu, sebahagian besar syarikat-syarikat besar khususnya yang berkaitan dengan kelapa sawit dan petroleum yang beroperasi di Sabah didaftarkan di Semenanjung Malaysia. Ini bermakna jumlah kutipan cukai sebenar bagi aktiviti perniagaan di Sabah boleh melepasi angka RM10 billion. Contoh paling mudah adalah cukai pendapatan PETRONAS, Maybank, dan syarikat-syarikat besar yang beroperasi di Sabah semuanya dilaporkan di Kuala Lumpur.
3. Kemana budget Negara di gunakan?
Mengikut ucapan budget Datuk Seri Najib untuk budget 2013, sebanyak RM201.9 billion digunakan untuk perbelanjaan operasi manakala RM49.7 billion bagi perbelanjaan pembangunan.
Menurut laporan daripada Ketua Menteri Sabah dalam persidangan dewan negeri lepas, RM9.08 billion telah diperuntukkan untuk pengurusan dan pembangunan di Sabah oleh kerajaan persekutuan. Berbanding dengan peratusan budget negara jumlah ini hanyalah sebanyak 3.62% daripada jumlah keseluruhan budget negara pada tahun 2013. Apakah peratusan ini mengambarkan pengagihan kekayaan secara saksama?
4. Kenapa jumlah perbelanjaan operasi di Sabah kecil?
Sejak pembentukan Malaysia, Sabah diperuntukan dengan budget pembangunan yang lebih bersifat “one-off”. Sabah jauh ketinggalan dalam agihan peruntukan operasi Negara yang merangkumi 80.2% daripada keseluruhan budget Negara. Kenapa Sabah tidak turut serta atau ketinggalan jauh dalam peruntukan operasi yang berjumlah RM201,9 billion?
Jika kita lihat perbelanjaan operasi secara lebih terperinci, daripada 1.42 juta kakitangan awam dengan jumlah emolumen sebanyak RM58.6 billion (2013), jumlah kakitangan awam yang berada dan berasal daripada Sabah berbanding di Semanjung Malaysia adalah kurang daipada 5% daripada jumlah keseluruhan kakitangan awam Negara. Sebanyak 85, 494 orang kakitangan awam persekutuan dan badan berkanun di Sabah termasuk 15,390 orang daripada Semanjung Malaysia (Persidangan DUN, Jul 2012). Selain jumlah kekitangan awam yang kecil, jumlah gaji juga jauh lebih rendah kerana kebanyakan jawatan tertinggi berada di Semanjung Malaysia. Mengambil kira jumlah pekerja sektor awam dan gaji rendah yang diperolehi, daripadaRM58.6 billion peruntukan, di anggarkan Sabah hanya menerima kurang daripada 3% atau kurang daripada RM1.7 billion.
Kita lihat sebagai contohnya Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia. Terdapat 20 buah universiti awam tempatan di Malaysia. Hanya sebuah sahaja universiti tempatan di Sabah (UMS) berbanding jumlah penduduk melebihi 3.5 juta orang. Di Semanjung Malaysia, sebanyak 18 buah Universiti dengan purata 1.2 juta penduduk bagi setiap universiti. Pengiraan ini tidak termasuk cawangan-cawangan universiti-universiti awam dan swasta menjadikan kadar penduduk bagi setiap universiti di Semanjung Malaysia jauh lebih baik berbanding dengan di Sabah. Dianggarkan sebanyak RM5-6 billion diperlukan untuk menampung kos operasi bagi 20 universiti tempatan. Daripada jumlah tersebut, UMS diperuntukan dalam lingkungan RM300 juta setahun, kurang daripada 5% daripada jumlah keseluruhan budget operasi universiti-universiti tempatan. Agihan ini belum lagi mengambil kira peruntukan penyelidikan dimana UMS menerima kurang daripada 3% daripada keseluruhan budget penyelidikan. Begitu juga dengan pendidikan menengah dan rendah.
5. Apakah asas agihan Dana Persekutuan?
Secara amnya, Semanjung Malaysia telah diperuntukan hampir 90% daripada budget operasi Negara sejak zaman-berzaman dan agihan ini tidak mempunyai asas selain mengikut sistem yang sedia ada.
Jika agihan peruntukan negara bersandarkan peratusan penduduk, Sabah sepatutnya memperolehi 12.5% atau RM32.7 billion setahun. Jika bersandarkan keluasan tanah, dan hasil, Sabah sepatutnya menerima lebih dari RM50 billion setahun.
Oleh itu, asas agihan dana persekutuan yang dipraktikkan sehingga kini yang bersandarkan kepada sistem sedia tidak mempunyai asas kukuh tetapi lebih kepada bersandarkan kekuatan politik. Kelemahan asas ini perlu diubah segera.
6. Apa perlu kita lakukan?
Agihan perbelanjaan operasi kerajaan persekutuan perlu dikaji semula disemua kementerian-kementerian di Malaysia. Dasar-dasar perlu digobal agar perlaksanaan agihan peruntukan operasi lebih adil dan saksama tanpa bersandarkan kepada sistem sedia ada yang akan mengekalkan status Sabah terus ketinggalan dalam arus pembangunan.
Polisi pengigahan dana diperingkat pembuat dasar perlu memperuntukan sekurang-kurangnya 10% sebagai KPI (Key Performance Index) dari jumlah keseluruhan bajet di setiap kementerian berbanding 3-4% pada masa sekarang. Dengan pertambahan peruntukan tersebut, sistem penyampaian boleh ditingkatkan selain dapat meningkatkan usaha membantu masyarakat Sabah yang telah lama ketinggalan.
Selaku penyumbang terbesar ekonomi Negara, Sabah berhak dan perlu memperolehi tambahan peruntukan operasi di kesemua kementerian persekutuan di Sabah bagi meningkatkan peluang-peluang pekerjaan dan seterusnya dapat melonjakkan ekonomi negeri seiring dengan negeri-negeri lain di Malaysia.
Ir. Dr. Rosalam Sarbatly,
(Beaufort, Sabah. 03 Julai 2013)

FELDA broke its contract with the Sabah State Government

Sabah supposed to be excluded

Published on: Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Kota Kinabalu: Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) on Monday supported the call by former Chief Minister Tan Sri Harris Salleh to ask the Sabah Government to take back the 300,000-acre Felda scheme in Lahad Datu over breach of agreement. "The settlement scheme developed by Felda is tantamount to a giveaway of critical lands which were initially meant for landless Sabahans," said its President Datuk Seri Wilfred Bumburing (pic) in a press statement.
"The bottom line is the eventual issuance of land titles to the settlers after the full payment of the portion of the development expenditure by way of deduction from the proceeds of FFB from their individual lots.
"The plantation is now being replanted indicating that the oil palm trees had been about 25 years and the loan definitely been fully paid and the individual titles should have been issued to the settlers," he said.
Bumburing said when he was in the then PBS State Government, he was involved in the recruitment of settlers in the Felda scheme where he chaired the committee who travelled around the State interviewing potential settlers.
He also represented the State Government in the National Land Council chaired by then Deputy Prime Minister Tun Ghafar Baba (during Tun Dr Mahathir's premiership).
"In one of the meetings, he announced the corporatisation of Felda land and instead of getting individual titles, the settlers would be shareholders of the new company. I protested and reminded Ghafar that this cannot be applied to Sabah because there is an agreement between the State Government and Felda and the settlers had to be given their titles.
"Ghafar assured the Council that the corporatisation exercise would not apply to Sabah.
So I was shocked to read Harris' statement (in the Daily Express) that the Sabah scheme had now been corporatised," he said.
He said he later learned that among the reasons for the corporatisation exercise was the political leaning of the settlers in Malaya towards the opposition, particularly PAS, and the only way to control them was by making them only shareholders of the scheme (instead of eventual landowners).
The question that arose, he said, is whether the agreement had been revoked and did the Sabah Government agree to it.
There is also unverified information that Felda had developed more acreage than what had been stipulated in the agreement which is about 250,000 acres in the Sahabat scheme.
"If this is true, then Felda needs to explain the issue on the income earned from this 'free' area.
It is also a known fact that many non-citizens have been hired to work on the plantation and some are rumoured to have occupied lands around the scheme," he said.
On Felda's contribution to Sabah's development, Bumburing said it cannot be denied that there is no visible development project that Felda had undertaken in Sabah. The State is in dire need of good infrastructure and the State Government should demand that Felda plough back some of the big profits they earned into the development.
"There, is however, talk about some contribution by Felda to Sabah through a Federal Ministry but the people are not duly informed as to how the contribution was utilised. "If Felda had breached the agreement, I agree with Harris that the land be taken back by the State Government and the lots given to the Sabahan settlers," he said.
Harris had said that the State Government should demand at least RM21 billion from the over RM30b that the Federal agency reaped from Sabah over the last 30 years, comprising 70pc share being the landowner and 30pc for Felda's management.
If Felda disagrees, then the next course of action should be claiming back the 300,000 acres it acquired from Sabah and redistribute it to the many landless Sabahans for flouting the agreement that it (Felda) signed with the then Berjaya Government that he (Harris) headed. Harris said that under the agreement Felda was obliged to cultivate the land with oil palm and hand them over to the settlers at 15 acres each, as was the vision of Felda's initiator, late Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak.
Harris said Felda only respected the agreement while Berjaya was in power, suggesting that it took advantage of the fall of Berjaya in 1985 to drastically change the agreement by making the settlers not the eventual landowners but mere employees, thus causing many settlers to feel cheated and leave. They were then replaced by foreign workers from a neighbouring country.

 http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=111237