To be sure, whether Putrajaya has actually and consciously “taken away” any state rights over the years is itself a contentious assertion. The power of the federal purse was one particularly effective instrument, of course, to bring about state acquiescence, especially when the state concerned had not been judicious in the handling of revenues that went directly into state coffers from resources under exclusive state domain, such as land and forests. The cumulative result of all this must have contributed to the popular backlash now being experienced in Sarawak and Sabah over a widespread perception that state rights have been deliberately eroded by the Federal Government. It is obviously aimed to score political points or the opposition might have long ago legally challenged some federal laws or constitutional points deemed by it to be in contravention of state rights. johnteo808@gmail.comThe writer views developments in the nation, the region and the wider world from his vantage point in Kuching, Sarawak

Source: New Strait Times December 29, 2017 01:30 UTC