Good start to signature campaign on Sarawak rights at Kuching launch

KUCHING, Sept 16 — A petition launched by civil society group Sarawak for Sarawakians (S4S) to demand the enactment of a Referendum Ordinance to safeguard the state’s rights received positive response today with over 200 volunteers turning up.

Movement leader Peter John Jaban said the response looked promising, adding that he believes the group will hit its signature target.

“With this number of volunteers turning out, I am confident that we can reach the 300,000 signature target by the end of this year,” he said at the launch.

The volunteers will each set up booths in the towns, as well as visit villages and longhouses to collect signatures in Kuching and Sri Aman.

Another group of volunteers will collect signatures in Sibu, Bintulu and Miri Divisions.

The signature campaign was also launched simultaneously in other locations across the state, including Sibu, Bintulu and Miri.

Jaban, who is also a human rights activist and a former presenter of London-based Radio Free Sarawak, said Sarawakians should not be afraid to sign the petition because what S4S is demanding is to safeguard their rights.

“We want all eligible Sarawakians to be part of this campaign,” he said, explaining that those who want to sign the petition must bring along their Identity cards as proof that they are Sarawakians.

He said S4S is following strict conditions when asking people to sign the petition.

“We do not want detractors to come up with all kinds of excuses later to say that our petition is not a true representation of the voice of Sarawakians,” he said.

Jaban said the petition will later be presented to Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem.

Human rights activist KC Tan, who also spoke at the launch, said Sarawakians must be consulted via a referendum before any proposal is made to amend state rights.

“Over the last 52 years after the formation of the Federation of Malaysia, many of these rights have been eroded by those in power or being treated as less important ,” he said.

Tan said the rights which have been eroded include religious freedom, Immigration control autonomy, Borneonisation of the Sarawak Public Service, Sarawak education system and Sarawak representation in Federal parliament.

He said the Malaysia Agreement signed by Sarawak, Malaya, Sabah, Singapore and United Kingdom had wanted these rights to be incorporated into the Malaysian Federal Constitution as special safeguards for Sarawak as stipulated in the Report of Inter-Governmental Committee on Feb 27, 1963.