This power point slide was presented by Lina Soo in "The New Phase of Democratic Reform in Malaysia" forum in commemoration of Sahabat Rakyat 14th anniversary held on 6 Sep 2015 at DeFortune Restaurant, Kulai.

1. “The New Phase of Democratic Reform in Malaysia” Forum
in commemoration of Sahabat Rakyat 14th Anniversary
6 September 2015

2. MALAYSIA “GREAT BUTTRESS
OF FREEDOM IN ASIA”
TRUTH OR FICTION?
Lina Soo

3. GREAT BUTTRESS?
OR
GREAT LIE?????

6. LORD LANSDOWNE
Minister of State for Colonial Affairs
Chairman of the Inter-Governmental
Commission tasked to draw up the
InterGovernmental Report which
formulates the constitutional
framework, assurances and
safeguards for the formation of
Malaysia, the precursor to the
Malaysia Agreement and
subsequently the Malaysia
Constitution.

7. BUT WHAT?
What did freedom and democracy mean for Sarawak, a British
colony seemingly about to be decolonized?
Is decolonization of its colonies to be the last legacy of the
sunset British empire to democratization as promised?
Will the death of British imperialism and the making of
Malaysia ensure the birth of democracy for Sarawak?
If so, then democratization for Sarawak would start with the
making of Malaysia in 1963.

8. REALITY ….
the strangulation of any hope of freedom and democracy
for Sarawak would start even before the birth of Malaysia
just as in the same breath Lord Lansdowne promised
freedom and democracy
It was a false promise never realised
Lord Lansdowne’s promise of Malaysia as great buttress of
freedom in Asia was in fact the butchering of freedom and
democracy for Sarawak

9. DEMOCRATIZATION
FOR THE KINGDOM OF SARAWAK
1. The Charter for freedom and democracy for Sarawak was
drawn up in 1941 - 9 Cardinal Principles - the preamble to
the Sarawak Constitution after 100 years of Brooke Rajah
rule.
2. The 9 Cardinal Principles is the pledge for the devolution of
power from Brooke rule to the Sarawak people of all races.
3. It should firstly be observed that the document was not a
statement of Sarawak independence because Sarawak was
already an independent and sovereign Kingdom from 1841
to 1941.

10. THE NINE CARDINAL PRINCIPLES OF SARAWAK
The Nine Cardinal Principles of the Rule of the English Rajah is the Preamble of the
Sarawak Constitution 1941, the edict by Vyner Brooke, 3rd Rajah of Sarawak on 24
September 1941.
•That Sarawak is the heritage of Our Subjects and is held in trust by Ourselves for them.
•That social and education services shall be developed and improved and the standard of
living of the people of Sarawak shall steadily be raised.
•That never shall any person or persons be granted rights inconsistent with those of the
people of this country or be in any way permitted to exploit Our Subjects or those who
have sought Our protection and care.
•That justice shall be freely obtainable and that the Rajah and every public servant shall
be easily accessible to the public.
•That freedom of expression both in speech and in writing shall be permitted and
encouraged and that everyone shall be entitled to worship as he pleases.
•That public servants shall ever remember that they are but the servants of the people on
whose goodwill and co-operation they are entirely dependent.
•That so far as may be Our Subjects of whatever race or creed shall be freely and
impartially admitted to offices in Our Service, the duties of which they may be qualified
by their education, ability and integrity duly to discharge.
•That the goal of self-government shall always be kept in mind, that the people of
Sarawak shall be entrusted in due course with the governance of themselves, and that
continuous efforts shall be made to hasten the reaching of this goal by educating them
in the obligations, the responsibilities, and the privileges of citizenship.

11. The Adelaide Advertiser briefly reported this event in 1941 as follows:
LONDON, Sept. 23—AAP.
Coincident with the centenary of Sarawak today, an order has been promulgated
ending absolute rule and introducing CONSTITUTIONAL government. The King and
the Colonial Secretary (Lord Moyne) sent messages to the Rajah (Sir Charles Brooke).
This was unique and radical idea in the history of South East Asia and certainly not
many monarchies in the world have voluntarily decided not just to share power but
hand over power to the people without reserving any powers in the Rajah. This was
the faith and trust the Brooke Rajah government had placed in the Sarawak people.
Article 8 stated “That the goal of self-government shall always be kept in mind, that
the people of Sarawak shall be entrusted in due course with the governance of
themselves, and that continuous efforts shall be made to hasten the reaching of this
goal by educating them in the obligations, the responsibilities, and the privileges of
citizenship.”
It was the promise and the hope for the democratization of Sarawak and had lit the
first flame of Sarawak nationalism.

12. SARAWAK FOR SARAWAKIANS

13. FOR SARAWAKIANS
DEMOCRATIC AND
CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS
MUST BE EFFECTED BY
IMPLEMENTING SARAWAK'S
9 CARDINAL PRINCIPLES
FOR THE DEVOLUTION OF
POWER TO THE PEOPLE.

14. However the annexation of
Sarawak as Crown Colony in 1946,
and the hiving off of Sarawak to
Malaya in 1963, under the guise
of Malaysia was to sidestep the
granting of freedom and
democratization to Sarawak.

15. 1 JULY 1946
ANNEXATION OF SARAWAK AS CROWN COLONY
which led to a protracted 5-year anti-cession movement

16. 8 DECEMBER 1962
LIMBANG & BEKENU INDEPENDENCE WAR

17. 1963 ANTI-MALAYSIA MOVEMENT

18. Perhimpunan Anti-Malaysia di Sibu

22. 1963
Ong Kee Hui, Sarawak Nationalist
• “The British broke the pledge of independence”
• “We have all along held the view that Sarawak belongs to the
Sarawakians and the British Government must hand over
the sovereignty of this country to the people of Sarawak.
This was in fact what the British Government had pledged to do when
it took over Sarawak, an independent country with its own Rajah.
• The proposed Federation of Malaysia which envisaged the transfer of
sovereignty of this country to Malaysia is a denial to the people of
Sarawak of their right of self-determination and does not give the
people true independence, and therefore we are firmly opposed to it.”

23. UNITED NATIONS DECOLONIZATION DECLARATION
1514 (XV) OF 14 DECEMBER 1960
is based upon the principles of freedom and democracy
• 1. The subjection of peoples to alien subjugation, domination and exploitation constitutes a denial of
FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS, is contrary to the Charter of the United Nations and is an impediment to
the promotion of world peace and co-operation.
• 2. ALL PEOPLES HAVE THE RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION, by virtue of that right they FREELY determine
their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.
• 3. Inadequacy of political, economic, social or educational preparedness should never serve as a pretext
for delaying independence.
• 4. All armed action or repressive measures of all kinds directed against dependent peoples shall cease in
order to enable them to exercise peacefully and FREELY their right to complete independence, and the
integrity of their national territory shall be respected.
• 5. Immediate steps shall be taken, in Trust and Non-Self-Governing Territories or all other territories which
have not yet attained independence, to transfer all powers to the peoples of those territories, WITHOUT
ANY CONDITIONS OR RESERVATIONS, in accordance with their FREELY EXPRESSED WILL AND DESIRE,
without any distinction as to race, creed or colour, in order to enable them to enjoy COMPLETE
INDEPENDENCE AND FREEDOM .
• 6. Any attempt aimed at the partial or total disruption of the national unity and the territorial integrity of a
country is incompatible with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.
• 7. All States shall observe faithfully and strictly the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations, the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the present Declaration on the basis of equality, non-
interference in the internal affairs of all States, and respect for the sovereign rights of all peoples and their
territorial integrity.

24. INTERPRETATION OF UNDD (7)
In accordance with the principles and substance of
the UN Charter on Self-Determination, NOT BRITAIN,
NOT MALAYA, NOR UNITED NATIONS have the right
to determine the future of the Sarawak people by
federating Sarawak with Malaya.
ONLY THE PEOPLE OF SARAWAK HAVE THAT
RIGHT TO MAKE THE DECISION
No foreign power had legal right, mandate,
authority or standing to interfere in Borneo affairs by
hungering for Borneo territory.

25. ‘BRITAIN’S GIFT TO MALAYSIA’
18 Sep 1963:
British Government's message to TAR:
I have pleasure in presenting to you this gift from the British Government to
the Government of Malaya ... Her Majesty the Queen has transferred to His
Majesty the Agong Her Sovereignty over Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak ...
Malaysia will offer to them and all its citizens widening opportunities for
progress and prosperity.
Tunku's reply:
I can assure you that I am most thankful for this message ... I am grateful for
the confidence of Her Majesty's Government in passing their rights over
their Territories (Singapore Sarawak and Sabah) to us.
Source: Malaysia, A J Stockwell pg. 690-691

26. DID BRITAIN HONOUR THE DEMOCRATIZATION PROCESS
DURING DECOLONIZATION TO CREATE A MALAYSIA
SUCCESS STORY OR MALAYSIA MONSTER?
The dark and bloodied history of Sarawak in the making of Malaysia was
the untold story based upon violence and crimes against humanity.
It was easy for the colonial government to engineer cover-ups that has
lasted to this day.
Britain, the defenders of freedom and democracy had few parallels in its
colonial history in terms of man’s inhumanity to man by establishing a
brutal police state with an entrenched culture of atrocity and violence in
order to bequeath Sarawak to Malaya who continued the colonial
legacy of racism and human rights abuses.

27. WHITHER FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY?
1. Sarawak was denied a DEMOCRATIC solution with the hasty formation of
Malaysia without gaining complete independence, denying Sarawakians our
inalienable right to self-determination
2.There was UNDEMOCRATIC suppression with atrocities and human rights
abuses.
3. S'pore independence abrogated MA63, but Sarawak was
UNDEMOCRATICALLY denied opportunity to renegotiate the changed concept
of 4 countries to 3 countries making up Malaysia.
3. Sarawak was UNDEMOCRATICALLY reduced to being equal partner and
Negara status to being one of the 13 states with an amemendment to the
Federal Constitution
4. There was no Borneonization as promised. Instead Malayanization was
UNDEMOCRATICALLY imposed upon Sarawakians against our will, which
denied us real control of our government.
5. Our indigenous population does not enjoy any DEMOCRACY or socio
economic progress but are instead arbitrarily dispossessed of our land and
sources of survival
6. The federal government had continually and UNDEMOCRATICALLY violated the
Malaysia Agreement .

28. The Federal Constitution is also very
undemocratic towards the multi-
racial Sarawak people because it
creates an unequal “treaty” by
imposing the superiority of race and
religion over our tolerant, secular and
pluralist societies.

29. Malaysia was sold on promises of freedom and
democracy - freedom of speech, thought,
expression, assembly & association, that goes
with British style democracy, social & economic
advancement, peace & security.
Instead, the machinations of coercion,
manipulation and misrepresentation were made
in the making of Malaysia, and this had
subjected the people of Sarawak to 53 years of
domination, subjugation and exploitation, and
denying us our inalienable rights and freedoms

30. SELF-DETERMINATION
IS OUR DEMOCRATIC RIGHT
DEMOCRACY FOR SARAWAK MEANS
THE FREEDOM TO EXERCISE OUR
INALIENABLE RIGHT TO DETERMINE
OUR POLITICAL STATUS AND THE
FREEDOM TO PURSUE OUR ECONOMIC,
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT

31. THANK YOU.
Credit to Robert Pei for the research.