AN IMPORTANT HISTORY LESSON FOR US TO REMEMBER

How many of us, the new generation of Bidayuh are aware of the "20-point and 18-point Agreement". Well, I think not many of us really know about the agreement. Now, what does the agreement really about then?

The 20-point agreement, or the 20-point memorandum, is an agreement made between the state of Sabah (then North Borneo) with what would be the federal government of Malaysia prior to the formation of Malaysia in September 16, 1963. A similar agreement was made between the state of Sarawak and the federal government but with certain differences in their 18-point agreement.

The agreement was written for the main purpose of safeguarding the interests, rights, and the autonomy of the people of Sabah upon entering the federation of Malaysia. It was originally envisaged that Sabah be one of the four entities in the federation, the others being Malaya, Singapore, and Sarawak. However as times passed, Sabah and Sarawak has ended up being merely one of the 13 states in the federation.


Point 1: Religion

While there was no objection to Islam being the national religion of Malaysia there should be no State religion in North Borneo, and the provisions relating to Islam in the present Constitution of Malaya should not apply to North Borneo

Point 2: Language

• a. Malay should be the national language of the Federation
• b. English should continue to be used for a period of 10 years after Malaysia Day
• c. English should be an official language of North Borneo for all purposes, State or Federal, without limitation of time.

Point 3: Constitution

Whilst accepting that the present Constitution of the Federation of Malaya should form the basis of the Constitution of Malaysia, the Constitution of Malaysia should be a completely new document drafted and agreed in the light of a free association of states and should not be a series of amendments to a Constitution drafted and agreed by different states in totally different circumstances. A new Constitution for North Borneo (Sabah) was of course essential.

Point 4: Head of Federation

The Head of State in North Borneo should not be eligible for election as Head of the Federation

Point 5: Name of Federation

“Malaysia” but not “Melayu Raya”

Point 6: Immigration

Control over immigration into any part of Malaysia from outside should rest with the Central Government but entry into North Borneo should also require the approval of the State Government. The Federal Government should not be able to veto the entry of persons into North Borneo for State Government purposes except on strictly security grounds. North Borneo should have unfettered control over the movements of persons other than those in Federal Government employ from other parts of Malaysia into North Borneo.

Point 7: Right of Secession

There should be no right to secede from the Federation

Point 8: Borneanisation

Borneanisation of the public service should proceed as quickly as possible.

Point 9: British Officers

Every effort should be made to encourage British Officers to remain in the public service until their places can be taken by suitably qualified people from North Borneo

Point 10: Citizenship

The recommendation in paragraph 148(k) of the Report of the Cobbold Commission should govern the citizenship rights in the Federation of North Borneo subject to the following amendments:

• a) sub-paragraph (i) should not contain the proviso as to five years residence
• b) in order to tie up with our law, sub-paragraph (ii)(a) should read “7 out of 10 years” instead of “8 out of 10 years”
• c) sub-paragraph (iii) should not contain any restriction tied to the citizenship of parents – a person born in North Borneo after Malaysia must be federal citizen.

Point 11: Tariffs and Finance

North Borneo should retain control of its own finance, development and tariff, and should have the right to work up its own taxation and to raise loans on its own credit.

Point 12: Special position of indigenous races

In principle, the indigenous races of North Borneo should enjoy special rights analogous to those enjoyed by Malays in Malaya, but the present Malays’ formula in this regard is not necessarily applicable in North Borneo

Point 13: State Government

• a) the Prime Minister should be elected by unofficial members of Legislative Council
• b) There should be a proper Ministerial system in North Borneo

Point 14: Transitional period

This should be seven years and during such period legislative power must be left with the State of North Borneo by the Constitution and not be merely delegated to the State Government by the Federal Government

Point 15: Education

The existing educational system of North Borneo should be maintained and for this reason it should be under state control

Point 16: Constitutional safeguards

No amendment modification or withdrawal of any special safeguard granted to North Borneo should be made by the Central Government without the positive concurrence of the Government of the State of North Borneo

The power of amending the Constitution of the State of North Borneo should belong exclusively to the people in the state. (Note: The United Party, The Democratic Party and the Pasok Momogun Party considered that a three-fourth majority would be required in order to effect any amendment to the Federal and State Constitutions whereas the UNKO and USNO considered a two-thirds majority would be sufficient)

Point 17: Representation in Federal Parliament

This should take account not only of the population of North Borneo but also of its seize and potentialities and in any case should not be less than that of Singapore

Point 18: Name of Head of State

Yang di-Pertua Negara

Point 19: Name of State

Sabah

Point 20: Land, Forests, Local Government, etc.

The provisions in the Constitution of the Federation in respect of the powers of the National Land Council should not apply in North Borneo. Likewise, the National Council for Local Government should not apply in North Borneo.

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BGB's note: The above is the 20-point agreement for the state of Sabah. I have tried to search for the 18-point agreement for Sarawak but I couldn't find them. If any of you knows where to look for them, please kindly let me know.

POOR SARAWAKIANS..THAT'S INCLUDING ME!

RESOURCE: http://sarawakheadhunter.blogspot.com/2009/03/sarawakians-heres-where-some-of-money.html

Sarawakians! Here's where some of the money stolen from you went!
ROCKCLIFFE "PALACE" OTTWA'S NO.2 HOME

New house valued at $9,609,000, 2nd only to Cowpland mansion

By Michael Prentice, The Ottawa Citizen January 19, 2009

The handsome new home of Ottawa developer Sean Murray and his wife, Jamilah Taib, has shot to No. 2 among Ottawa's most expensive private residences, as measured by the Municipal Property Assessment Corp. (MPAC).

The couple's house at 688 Manor Ave. in Rockcliffe Park, completed late last year, is worth $9,609,000, assessors have decided. That puts it second only to that of neighbours Marlen and Michael Cowpland. The Cowplands' modern mansion at 234 Perley Crt. has an updated assessment value of $12,535,000.

The Cowpland residence has been controversial because of its ultra-modern look, which some traditionalists have grumbled is out of place in Rockcliffe Park, where many of Ottawa's most expensive homes are located.

The new home of Mr. Murray and Ms. Taib has a more traditional look, which blends in with older, and much smaller, houses nearby. Its construction has been the talk of Rockcliffe for months.

Well-heeled neighbours were impressed when the couple showed off their new home at a recent house-warming and Christmas party.

"It's incredible," one guest said. "It is not so much a house as a mansion. A lot of the guests were likening it to an old English manor. But it is a very new English manor."

The guest, who asked not to be identified, added: "There is marble and the colour of gold everywhere, and there must be 20 chandeliers on the ground floor. It's like a palace, really."

The home's proud owners also offered dinner for 14 at their residence in a recent auction in aid of nearby Ashbury College. The catalogue described the house as a "magnificent home gleaming with marble and gold." The prize went for $3,000.

The Murray-Taib home has cathedral ceilings throughout the ground floor, and about 12,500 square feet of living space. It takes up much of the lot size of less than one acre. It was designed by the architectural firm of Nicholas Caragianis.

MPAC's assessments are used to determine property taxes, meaning Mr. Murray and Ms. Taib will have a property tax bill of about $100,000. The Cowplands will pay about $130,000.

Like many home owners, both couples will get a bit of a break on their property taxes this year and the next two because the new assessments are being phased in over four years.

Assessors decided a home like that of Mr. Murray and Ms. Taib would have increased in value by about 14 per cent between January 2005, when assessments were last done, and January 2008, when the latest assessments took effect.

The Murray-Taib home took over the No. 2 spot from the home of Beata and Philip Garel-Jones at 120 Lansdowne Rd., also in Rockcliffe Park. Their home was assessed at $9,325,000. The couple bought it from technology multimillionaire Antoine Paquin for $8.25 million several years ago.

Michael Potter and Terence Matthews, two other technology multimillionaires, are fourth and fifth on the list, compiled by the Citizen from property rolls. Mr. Potter's property was assessed to be worth $8,443,000, about $3 million of which was in the value of land he acquired from his back-fence neighbour, the U.S. ambassador.

Mr. Matthews' home in Kanata was one of only four from outside Rockcliffe in the top 25 assessments.

The most valuable homes in Ottawa are owned by either property developers or high-tech moguls. The sole exception is Daniel Bellemare, one of the owners of Farm Boy fruit and vegetable stores. His renovation and expansion of a traditional Rockcliffe home has earned praise from residents who deplore a trend to demolish old homes in the village and replace them with much larger new houses.

Ottawa Senators hockey star Jason Spezza's new home did not make the top 25 on assessed value, even though he paid $3.75 million for the modern house on Mayfair Avenue, off Island Park Drive. The house had been listed for $6 million. The house's assessed value for 2008 is $2,316,000. That means Mr. Spezza will be getting a good deal on his property taxes, or the purchase price was high, or a combination of the two.

PENGHORMATAN DIBERI, BUKAN DIMINTA-MINTA

Dipetik daripada: http://www.malaysiakini.com/columns/103454 Anak muda tidak tergila-gilakan Raja

Hishamuddin Rais Mar 6, 09 3:02pm

Penghormatan diberi, bukan boleh diminta-minta. Individu dihormati bukan kerana paksaan undang-undang atau akta kejam. Kalau ada sesiapa tidak ingin menghormati tuan, mandor, ketua pejabat, cikgu atau raja - tidak ada apa-apa yang boleh dilakukan. Menangkap, merotan atau memenjarakan seseorang tidak akan melahirkan apa-apa penghormatan. Che Guevera dihormati anak-anak muda di seluruh dunia bukan kerana ada undang-undang daripada Pertubuhan Bangsa-bangsa Bersatu atau ada arahan daripada IMF atau Mahkamah Dunia. Che diberi penghormatan kerana hati naluri anak-anak muda mahu menghormatinya. Che Guevera tidak pernah meminta-minta penghormatan ini kerana dia telah lama mati. Penghormatan yang ditimbulkan melalui undang-undang, kuasa atau pangkat bukan penghormatan sebenar; ini semua penghormatan yang pura-pura. Dr Mahathir Mohamad satu ketika dahulu dihormati kerana dapat memberi habuan kontrak. Malah Mahathir sendiri sedar hingga dia membebel sesudah kalah untuk menjadi delegasi Kubang Pasu ke perhimpunan United Malays National Organisation pada 2006 dahulu. Dia membebel kerana tidak ada lagi orang yang datang mencium tangannya. Lihat pula Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Belum pun tamat tempohnya sebagai perdana menteri – kerana tandatangannya tidak lagi laku dan tidak mendatangkan kontrak – tidak ramai menteri dan para pembodek berhari raya di Kepala Batas tahun lalu. Berilah apa sahaja nama dan darjah penghormatan – Tun, Tan atau Tin – ia hanya tin-tin yang kosong dan tidak membawa apa-apa pengertian. Pakaikan baju kuning, merah atau kelabu, pasangkanlah tanjak tujuh tingkat, semuanya tidak ada makna. Rasa hormat datang daripada hati. Pada 1964 Jean Paul Sartre dianugerah Hadiah Nobel Sastera. Dia tidak datang mengambil hadiah ini. Malah Sartre langsung tidak ambil peduli. Dia menolak penghormatan yang mengada-ada. Tetapi idea dan falsafah Sartre masih menggegarkan dunia. Idea dan falsafah inilah yang dinobatkan untuk dihormati, daripada segala bentuk penghormatan yang pura-pura. Bagitu juga Le Duc Tho yang mendapat Hadiah Nobel Keamanan pada 1973. Dia juga tidak pergi ke Stockholm untuk mengambilnya. Hingga ke hari ini Duc Tho masih dihormati dan diingati sebagai patriot Vietnam yang merangka dan membuka jalan damai untuk negaranya pada 1972. Justeru apabila ada gerombolan yang meloncat mengambur meminta dan memaksa orang ramai agar menghormati raja, maka permintaan ini kelihatan sebagai lawak bodoh. Meminta dihormati, memaksa dihormati - atau melembagakan penghormatan - bukan penghormatan namanya. Penghormatan datang secara sukarela dari hati suci yang ikhlas dan jujur. Penghormatan yang suci bukan kerana upah, paksaan, atau janji pangkat dan kontrak. Kalau seorang anak sekolah ditarik telinga dan dipaksa menghormati guru besarnya, maka untuk beberapa saat (ketika telinganya sakit) mungkin anak sekolah ini akan berkata bahawa dia menghormati si guru besar. Terlepas sahaja telinganya daripada pulasan, anak sekolah ini bukan sahaja tidak akan menghormati si guru besar, malah besar kemungkinan si guru besar akan dibaling dengan najis. Ini hakikat. Apabila saya menulis artikel, awal Mac, cerita-cerita karut tentang daulat raja, tulah raja, jampi raja – semuanya tidak dipercayai lagi. Anak-anak muda hari ini tidak lagi gempaq dengan daulat raja – mereka gempaq dengan penyanyi rock n roll. Anak muda hari ini akan gempaq dengan pemain bola, pemusik, pelakon, penggodam internet atau pembawa counter-culture yang melawan arus. Ini hakikat bukan sahaja di Malaysia, malah inilah jalur pemikiran anak muda di seluruh dunia. Pergi lawati bilik anak muda – tidak mungkin ditemui gambar Sultan, Raja atau Shah di dinding bilik mereka. Besar kemungkinan akan ditemui gambar sebuah kugiran rock, wajah seorang bintang rock atau mungkin poster Che Guevera. Belum pernah ada dalam dunia ini seorang anak muda yang akan bergadai-bergolok untuk mendapatkan baju T gambar seorang raja – tetapi mereka sanggup ke e-bay untuk membida baju arwah John Lennon yang ori. Ini hakikat rasa hormat dan cinta kerana kerana kita telah sampai ke tahun 2009. Raja Maghribi, Ratu Elizebeth, Sultan Brunei, Raja Abdullah al-Saud atau Sultan Perak - jika tidak kerana protokol – jika pegawai-pegawai kerajaan tidak diarahkan, jika anak-anak sekolah tidak di paksa - dewan akan kosong. Tidak akan ada ramai orang yang datang memenuhi dewan untuk mendengar susuk-susuk ini berucap. Sampai kiamat pun anak-anak muda tidak akan membayar harga tiket RM200 untuk mendengar mereka membebel. Tetapi anak-anak muda sanggup turun ke Singapura atau naik ke Bangkok untuk mendengar sebuah rock band datang bermain. Raja Gopal, Raja Kapoor atau Raja Perak harus sedar diri. Pada hari ini tidak ramai lagi orang yang ambil pot kerana nama mereka bermula dengan raja. Inilah hakikat tahun 2009. Masyarakat kota tidak lagi mencari makan daripada hasil tanah. Mereka memburuh. Mereka membanting tulang di kilang dan di pabrik. Apabila mereka meninggalkan tanah, berhijrah ke bandar bererti mereka telah memutuskan hubungan dengan budaya feudal. Masyarakat kota melahirkan budaya mereka sendiri – budaya dan gaya hidup yang tidak lagi bergantung kepada raja atau sultan. Dalam budaya urban, sistem feudal tidak memainkan peranan. Memang ada wujud kumpulan-kumpulan yang masih menganggap kaum feudal itu wajib dihormati kerana darah keturunan mereka. Kumpulan ini mereka yang ingin menahan gerak dan arus pembudayaan dunia moden hari ini. Malah di Perancis, sebuah negara republik, masih ada warga yang cuba membawa kembali sistem beraja. Mereka bernostalgia terhadap zaman feudal yang telah terkambus masa. Di Tanah Melayu juga masih ada kumpulan dan gerombolan yang percaya dengan "daulat" raja. Sebenarnya, usaha ini wujud kerana kepentingan ekonomi mereka bergayut dengan kaum feudal. Mereka ingin memastikan yang kepentingan ekonomi mereka akan dapat dipayungi oleh kaum feudal. Justeru, mereka sanggup membeli derajat kebesaran agar mereka dapat juga dilihat "besar". Hakikanya - kumpulan dan gerombolan pro-feudal ini dari sehari ke sehari semakin berkurangan. Pengurangan kumpulan dan gerombolan ini bukan dirancang. Pengurangan ini muncul dengan sendiri kerana asas ekonomi telah berubah. Dalam konteks asas ekonomi kapitalis moden, keupayaan individu dinobatkan bukan kerana darah keturunan. Barack Obama, Micheal Jackson atau Colin Powell berada di tempat mereka hari ini bukan kerana mereka cucu kepada Raja Buganda dari Afrika tetapi kerana fikrah dan keilmuan mereka. Inilah hakikatnya. Kenyataan ini bukan bermakna kita tidak menghormati Raja Gopal, Raja Kapoor atau Raja Perak. Sebagai sesama insan, kita wajib menghormati satu sama lain. Kita juga wajib beradab dan bersopan terhadap mereka. Penghormatan, adab sopan yang kita tunjukkan kepada mereka bukan kerana mereka raja. Mereka berhak menerima penghormatan daripada kita jika mereka memiliki tingkat keintelektualan dan fikrah yang unggul. Penghormatan yang ikhlas dan sukarela tidak berpenghujung dan tidak bernoktah. Seperti Che Guevera, zaman berzaman susuk ini akan terus dimuliakan walau telah lama mati. Tidak seperti Mahathir yang terpaksa membebel untuk dihormati. Atau seperti Ghazali Shafie atau Muhamad Rahmat yang seperti tunggul, pergi tersepak dan pulang terlanggar.