An agreement forged and forgotten
The 18-points Agreement signed on July 9, 1963 before the formation of Malaysia is an important document safeguarding the rights and autonomy of Sarawak and Sarawakians. So why don’t we know it?
NOT many Sarawakians are well-versed in the 18-points Agreement and only some have heard some aspects if not all of the salient points representatives of Sarawak laid out prior to the formation of Malaysia.
A survey held by The Borneo Post, however, discovered that people are not only unsure of its contents, many did not even know what it was. One answer to the query about their opinion of the 18 points Agreement was this: “18-points?
Is that a hole on the golfing green?”
Contrary to some opinions, ignorance is not bliss. Without any knowledge of our rights as Sarawakians, what do we know of our place within the federation of Malaysia?
A little history
The 20/18-points Agreement or memorandum were the conditions laid out by Sabah and Sarawak respectively before agreeing to form the Federation of Malaysia with the Federation of Malaya and Singapore.
The agreements, which can be found in the Proclamation of Malaysia and also the Cobbold Commission reports, stated the conditions and rights that were meant to safeguard the autonomy and the special interest of the people of Sabah and Sarawak, protecting, among others, these regions’ rights on religion, language, education, administration, economy and culture.