No more the stepchild

Historical moment: Sabah’s first Governor Tun Datu Mustapha Datu Harun with then Deputy Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak after proclaiming Sabah’s decision to form Malaysia with Sarawak, Malaya and Singapore on Sept 16, 1963.

IN July 1976, Parliament voted to relegate the status of Sabah and Sarawak from equal partner to one of the 13 states in Malaysia.

Forty-three years later, a Bill will be tabled in Parliament to restore the Bornean states’ equal partner status. It will need two-thirds majority support to be passed.