KUCHING: There are several realities that need to be considered with regards to whether Sarawakians are ready for independence, said Movement of Change Sarawak (MoCS) president Francis Paul Siah.
Going back to basics, he referred to these fundamentals as the ABC’s and ‘do re mi’ of independence.
“The ‘A’ is for answers to the proponents of independence for Sarawak,” he said during an MoCS forum entitled ‘Independence: The Final Destination’ at the DBNA hall here, yesterday.
He explained that Sarawakians had to be aware of issues faced on the route to self-determination and independence, including the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Siah said that ‘B’ stands for bravery.
“C is for commitment. This path is something new that we have not gone through before,” he said, adding that consistency was also important.
Meanwhile, for ‘do re mi’, he said that ‘do’ refers to ‘just do it’ and to not procrastinate.
“The ‘re’ refers to remembering to be united,” he added.
As an example, he said there were many Sarawak for Sarawakians (S4S) groups in the state, rather than one unified unit.
Finally, Siah said ‘mi’ stands for ‘me’. “We have to decide if we want to lead other people into the quest for independence,” he said.
He also challenged Sarawakians to consider the coming state election as a referendum for the state’s self-determination and independence.
He was of the view that there would be more opportunities if the state was independent.
According to him, there were many negative comments and naysayers for Sarawak’s independence, such as some saying that Sarawakians and Sabahans were not grateful for what they already had and still wanted to pursue independence.
“To these naysayers I will respond: We should always try to bring what we are already blessed with to greater glory.
“If something can be further improved upon, why can’t we continue to make it better?” Siah said.
