[Golongan Penyelidikan iCONADA] Sabah perlu menentukan haluan sendiri dalam soal autonomi, kata penganalisis

[Golongan Penyelidikan iCONADA] Sabah perlu menentukan haluan sendiri dalam soal autonomi, kata penganalisis

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah wajar mengambil iktibar daripada pengalaman Sarawak dalam memperkukuh autonomi negeri, namun tidak seharusnya meniru bulat-bulat model politik Sarawak, kata penganalisis politik Profesor Madya Dr Arnold Puyok.

Beliau berkata kedua-dua negeri mempunyai latar belakang sejarah dan perkembangan politik yang berbeza, justeru Sabah perlu mencari pendekatan yang sesuai dengan keadaan dan keperluannya sendiri.

Profesor Madya Politik dan Pengajian Kerajaan Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Dr. Arnold Puyok, ketika menyampaikan ceramah bertajuk “Kisah Dua Autonomi: Belajar daripada Sarawak, Menentukan untuk Sabah.” NSTP/MOHD ADAM ARININ

Bercakap pada forum anjuran Sabah Society bertajuk “A Tale of Two Autonomies: Learning from Sarawak, Deciding for Sabah”, Puyok berkata keutamaan Sabah seharusnya diberikan kepada pembinaan institusi negeri yang kukuh dan profesional, bukannya mewujudkan sebuah parti politik yang dominan.

“Apa yang kurang di Sabah bukan sekadar perpaduan, tetapi institusi yang kukuh,” katanya.

Beliau menegaskan bahawa institusi yang berkesan dan mantap penting bagi memastikan kesinambungan pentadbiran serta melindungi kepentingan negeri walaupun berlaku perubahan dalam kepimpinan politik.

Menurut Puyok, pengalaman Sarawak menawarkan beberapa pengajaran berguna kepada Sabah, khususnya dalam membina identiti politik berteraskan negeri serta memperkukuh kedudukan rundingan negeri dalam Persekutuan.

Bagaimanapun, beliau mengingatkan bahawa pendekatan politik yang terbentuk di Sarawak tidak boleh begitu sahaja diterapkan di Sabah.

Katanya, Sabah tidak perlu meniru Sarawak, sebaliknya boleh mengambil contoh amalan terbaik dari pelbagai tempat dan menyesuaikannya dengan keadaan politik, ekonomi dan sosial negeri itu sendiri.

Puyok turut menyorot perbezaan perkembangan politik kedua-dua negeri sejak pembentukan Malaysia pada 1963.

Menurutnya, Sarawak telah membangunkan struktur politik berasaskan negeri yang agak stabil, manakala Sabah mengalami perpecahan politik yang lebih ketara serta perubahan kerajaan yang kerap. Keadaan itu, katanya, memberi kesan terhadap keupayaan Sabah untuk membina institusi yang kukuh dan berkekalan serta memperjuangkan kepentingannya secara berterusan.

Beliau berkata institusi negeri yang lebih kukuh juga penting bagi membolehkan Sabah melaksanakan hak-hak yang termaktub dalam Perlembagaan serta berunding dengan Kerajaan Persekutuan dengan lebih berkesan, khususnya dalam perkara berkaitan Perjanjian Malaysia 1963 (MA63).

Puyok berkata perkembangan perlembagaan dan politik sejak kebelakangan ini telah membuka lebih banyak ruang kepada Sabah dan Sarawak untuk memperjuangkan kedudukan serta kepentingan masing-masing dalam Persekutuan.

Namun, beliau menegaskan bahawa tuntutan politik semata-mata tidak mencukupi.

Sebaliknya, negeri itu memerlukan institusi yang mempunyai tahap profesionalisme, kesinambungan dan keupayaan untuk menterjemahkan tuntutan tersebut kepada pentadbiran serta dasar yang berkesan.

Justeru, perbandingan Puyok antara Sabah dan Sarawak bukan semata-mata untuk menentukan negeri mana yang mempunyai model politik lebih baik, tetapi untuk memahami perbezaan laluan perkembangan institusi yang dilalui oleh kedua-dua negeri.

Bagi Sabah, katanya, cabarannya ialah mengambil pengajaran daripada pengalaman Sarawak sambil membangunkan model autonominya sendiri.

Sabah boleh belajar daripada Sarawak, tetapi akhirnya Sabah sendiri yang perlu menentukan masa depan politik dan institusinya.

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Comment by 用心涼Coooool 56 minutes ago: Olivia Miwil：Sabah should chart its own course, not copy Sarawak, says analyst

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah should chart its own autonomy model based on its unique political and historical realities instead of replicating Sarawak's approach wholesale, a political analyst said.

Universiti Malaysia Sarawak Associate Professor of Politics and Government Studies Dr Arnold Puyok said many had questioned why Sabah and Sarawak had progressed at different rates despite both pursuing their rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

His remarks came amid public debate after several Sabah assemblymen recently said the state should not emulate Sarawak's development agenda.

Arnold, who hails from Sabah, said Sarawak's success was built on decades of institution-building, a stronger political identity and a clear sense of purpose that predated the formation of Malaysia.

He said Sarawak had developed its constitutional and political identity long before 1963, enabling successive leaders to institutionalise the "Sarawak First" agenda.
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By comparison, Sabah, then known as British North Borneo, was administered largely for resource extraction rather than state-building, with a distinct Sabahan identity emerging later under local political leadership.

Arnold said Sabah should not limit itself to learning from Sarawak alone but also adopt best practices from countries around the world.

Rather than looking only to Sarawak, Arnold said Sabah should also adopt best practices from around the world.

"Singapore is an example of a country that became successful by adapting international best practices rather than relying on a single model," he said during a talk titled 'A Tale of Two

Autonomies: Learning from Sarawak, Deciding for Sabah,' organised by The Sabah Society at its office in Damai Plaza here last night.

Among his recommendations, Arnold said Sabah should define clearer priorities when negotiating with the federal government, particularly on constitutional rights.

He also proposed institutionalising power-sharing through a governance charter to promote inclusive representation in the Cabinet, government-linked companies and statutory bodies.

He said Sabah should also focus on improving fiscal management, strengthening expertise in public finance and empowering local governments to increase revenue collection within their existing jurisdiction.

"We should train our people well. Send them to the best universities and institutions around the world, bring them back and let them build a highly competent civil service capable of implementing autonomy effectively.

"We should concentrate on the low-hanging fruits that can generate more income for Sabah."

Responding to suggestions that Sabah should consolidate political power under a single dominant coalition, as seen in Sarawak, Arnold said political pluralism was a natural feature of Sabah's democracy.

He said the real challenge lay in building strong institutions capable of implementing policies effectively, regardless of which coalition was in power.

"People say that Sabah is fragmented. That is why it underperforms. But then again, my argument is, fragmentation is also the hallmark of the plural democratic society.

"What Sabah lacks is not cohesion, so much as strong institutions," he said.

Arnold also said Sabah should better communicate the administrative powers that have already been devolved by the federal government, noting that many Sabahans remained unaware of the progress that had been made.（August 7, 2026 NST）