SABAH SECESSIONIST TO CONFRONT MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT IN COURT?

Like Canada and  United Kingdom, Malaysia is a member of Commonwealth of nation. However, the system in Malaysia in a case of state demanding separation from federal government is unlike Quebec attempt to secede from Canadian Government and the intention of  Scotland to separate from United Kingdom.

Both Canada and United Kingdom tackled the situation through negotiation and parliamentary contentious. In Malaysia unfortunately,  the issue of Sabah state in an attempt to separate from the federation is ending up in court.
Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin earlier, warned against attempts to undermine the people’s cooperation, security and unity by calling for the secession.
He stressed that police would not take the matter lightly as the statements were found to have been deliberately made to cause chaos in the country.
In addition,  the  Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohd Bakri Mohd Zinin said, Stern action will be taken against those  responsible for calling for the secession of Sabah from Malaysia.
To make the news more interesting, a group called “Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia” (SSKM); aiming for the separation of Sabah and Sarawak from Malaysia has said that it would be happy to have its day in court to state its case even as the government claimed it had identified individuals driving secessionist talk and may try them for sedition.

• The group representative, Doris Jones a Sabahan lawyer based in the UK  said in a statement is ready to fight for its cause.
• She said the group has been in according to the law with historical facts and truths without any physical violence.
• The group released its statement after claims by the Home Ministry and police that individuals behind talk of Sabah seceding have been identified.
• “We believe that the threats in the media from the government is actually strengthening our resolve in Sabah and Sarawak to face them in court and argue our case according to valid facts, so that our voices may be heard officially, whether it is in Malaysia or in the international arena,” the group’s representative, Doris Jones said in the statement.

The truth is, the world is watching the injustices committed by the Federal Government towards Sabah and Sarawak, she added.
Jones, said that she received many threats because of the group’s aim but added that its arguments are based on facts and backed up by valid documents.

SSKM has one public Facebook page with over 1,000 “Likes” and another “closed” group with a following of 16,000 people.The group also has a blog with over 93,000 page views and several videos of historical facts and local people voicing their issues, one which has over 108,000 views since it was posted two years ago.
“They can shut it (the blog or Facebook page) if they wish, but I can create another or many more to serve the same purpose. We are ready to deal with them,” Doris Jones said adding that she has received many queries and interview requests from international media.

Source: Agencies, BBC, Malaysia Today