It's like out of a tiger's mouth, into a crocodile's mouth. The fate of Sabah and Sarawak is truly unfortunate.
Freed from British tyranny and colonialization, he entered the federation government which later betrayed him.
Even though in essence the Malay peninsula was not colonized, they, UMNO and Putrajaya, treated Sabah and Sarawak like stepchildren, not as partners.
They did not respect the terms of the 1963 agreement that they had agreed and signed.
Over half a century of the federation's existence, the autonomous rights that guaranteed Sabah and Sarawak's support for the formation of the federation were stripped away. Unilaterally taken over by the federal government through bureaucratic regulations and constitutional amendments that conflict with the 1963 agreement.
The principle of equality as equally sovereign states when the Malay Land Alliance was established between the Malay Peninsula, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak, was eliminated. Sabah and Sarawak are treated only as province-level parts of peninsular Malaysia.
Over time, this has resulted in development inequality and an increasingly widening economic gap between the peninsula and Sabah and Sarawak.
Six decades of support and alliance in the Malaysian federation have not brought significant change and progress. On the contrary, development is running in place, making Sabah and Sarawak currently the 2 poorest regions in Malaysia. How ironic.
The issue and discourse of Sabah and Sarawak leaving Malaysia, which is increasingly filling the media space, is now quite reasonable.
The Putrajaya government must immediately prepare to face the big waves of change that will inevitably occur. Change policy direction and get rid of populism's ammunition so that it doesn't sink into it.
If not, Singapore's footsteps are clear and real enough to guide Sabah and Sarawak towards their hopes of a brighter future.