So yesterday was Malaysia Day, that special day to commemorate that time 57 years ago when North Borneo (you now know it as Sabah) and Sarawak joined hands with Malaya and what was then a not-so-independent Singapore to form the Federation of Malaysia.
 
With national-level celebrations held in Sibu, it’s no wonder PM Muhyiddin Yassin chose to focus his speech on Sabah and Sarawak. Our man Moo especially touched on that oh-so-important-and-sensitive topic of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63). 
 
He said the Perikatan Nasional gomen was committed to ensuring the rights of Sabahans and Sarawakians under the Agreement. He also said there’d be no compromise in security and sovereignty, and that Sabah and Sarawak would remain in Malaysia. Our supremo, perhaps, needed to say this as our mischievous neighbour the Philippines has decided to revive its claims to Sabah. You can read more on the North Borneo dispute here.
 
Moo had also pointed to the strong relationship between federal and state governments in ensuring mutual goals are met, waxing lyrical about the Sarawak government led by Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), an ally to PN of course.

In case you’re wondering, the MA63 recognises Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners with Peninsular Malaysia, instead of being just mere states, like, say Johor. That’s why the two have more autonomy in matters such as immigration. The MA63, though, has been a source of contention for years as East Malaysia accuses the federal government of ignoring this fact. 

Taking a pin from his Pakatan Harapan notebook, Moo here had also promised to form a Special Council on MA63. Harapan, during its short stint at the top, had formed a special cabinet committee on the same topic. In fact, it tried last year to amend the Constitution with regards to the rights of Sabah and Sarawak but failed to get the required two-thirds majority of the Dewan Rakyat.

Interestingly, many of the lawmakers who abstained from voting on the Harapan-era bill were from current Perikatan allies in BN, PAS and Sarawak, so it’ll be interesting to see how Perikatan plans to convince our East Malaysian brothers and sisters it has their best interests at heart.
 
Now, with it being Malaysia Day and all, it’s of course right for Sabah and Sarawak to be the among the focal points of the day. But it’s no surprise this is also likely attempts at securing brownie points for the upcoming Sabah elections. Our former glorious leader Dr Mahathir Mohamad, too, took the opportunity to call for the implementation for MA63.

Sarawak is due to hold its own state elections by next year. 
 
Muhyiddin also yesterday launched the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) manifesto for the coming polls. GRS comprises PN and BN coalitions, as well as Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS).
 
The manifesto itself is aimed at “addressing Sabah’s woes”, so our PM8 was basically dangling that huge proverbial carrot of federal funding in front of Sabahans. The nine thrusts of the manifesto are: infrastructure, Sabah rights employment, youth, health, civil service, prosperity, education, security, as well as human capital and development. 
 
Sabah Umno leader Bung Moktar Radin, who was at the launch, said Umno and BN have changed and are now committed to a fairer, transparent and trustworthy administration. So, the YB is admitting he and his geng were never committed to fairer, transparent and trustworthy administration before this when BN controlled the state? 
 
Sharp as a tack veteran DAP man Lim Kit Siang, in campaigning for Warisan Plus, reminded Sabahans the previous BN administrations failed to keep several promises. 
 
Warisan Plus leader and caretaker Sabah CM Shafie Apdal also took the mickey out of the GRS manifesto, asking how it was that a fractious entity – PBS had said it would not be attending the launch, BN and Perikatan can’t agree on a chief minister candidate should they win, and there are clashes in various seats between the allies – could even hope to implement its pledges. 
 
We have to agree with Shaf, but we also have to point out that people living in glass houses shouldn’t be throwing stones. And, apparently, former PM Najib Razak, that king of trolls who still has no shame despite being convicted of corruption-related offences, had thought the same thing.
 
Jibby whacked Shafie, his one-time deputy when he was defence minister, saying that Warisan should look at its own manifesto from back in 2018, with its unfulfilled promises. He especially cited two instances, that the CM wouldn’t hold the state’s finance minister portfolio and that the CM’s post be limited to two terms. Meanwhile, Shafie, according to the Jibs, had done just the opposite by appointing himself moneybags minister and then doing away with the two-term limit for the state governor. 
 
Yes, we know this is a long entry, so we’ll just include the other Sabah stories in bullet point form: 

• The fight among GRS leaders as to who’ll be CM should the opposition win the polls is still continuing in public. Bersatu/Perikatan Sabah head honcho Hajiji Noor has said his team had the right to name its own candidate as it’s contesting enough seats.
  
  BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had said the party/coalition with the most number of seats at the end of the election should call the shots, while Umno’s Muafakat Nasional ally PAS seemed to think Zahid is wrong and that Muhyiddin should decide who will be CM should GRS win. 
   
• Zahid, meanwhile, has promised political appointments for Umno and PAS should BN win the election. Aisehman… belum menang lagi sudah pikir pasal itu semua kah? 
   
• Former CM Musa Aman has called on successor Shafie to stop attacking him during the caretaker CM’s campaigns. After all, he isn’t even standing this time around. 
   
• Musa’s “successor” in the Sungai Sibuga seat, meanwhile, has claimed he has the former CM’s blessings to contest the constituency.