KUCHING: If Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was truly sincere about wanting to review the Malaysia Agreement 1963, he would have already done so during his 22-years as prime minister.
This was the opinion of Deputy Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri James Jemut Masing, when asked on Dr Mahathir's recent pledge that he would review the treaty on the state's rights and autonomy, if Pakatan Harapan manages to form the government.
James said it was ironic that Dr Mahathir is only now voicing his willingness to discuss the matter.
“For 22 years, he chose to keep quiet and never touched on the agreement.
"So why has he suddenly promised to review it now? Why he didn’t look into this when he had the power?”
James said that when Dr Mahathir was in power, the latter had refused to have any meetings to discuss the Malaysia Agreement.
This, he said, was unlike the current Federal government.
"Although the current negotiation with the Federal government takes time, at least we have actually started to talk about it. And the response and outcomes from the meetings have been positive," he said.
James said it was clear that Dr Mahathir's agenda was to fish for votes for Pakatan Harapan in the coming general election.
"I personally find it ironic that he (Dr Mahathir) has finally said he's willing to review the agreement. But I don't think he's sincere.
"He doesn't mean what he says. The people of Sarawak should not believe his words," said James.
Meanwhile, commenting on the large turnout at Dr Mahathir's ceramah on Sunday night at BDC, James said this was most probably due to curiosity.
“After all, he’s a 92-year-old man. People wanted to see him as they are curious about him,” he said.
“Yes, I believed there were some groups of DAP supporters but not all were there to show support,” he added.
James Masing, who is also the Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president, said he is confident that Barisan Nasional can retain all the seats in the next general election, especially in the rural constituencies.
"We are even confident of wresting two or three Chinese-majority seats from the DAP. This is based on the outcome of the last state polls, where the BN gained support from the Chinese community,” he said.