Chin (standing, second left) and Lo (seated, fourth right) in a photo-call with the participants of the dialogue. — Photo by Galileo Petingi

KUCHING (Jan 25): A dialogue on ‘A New Approach to Federalism’, held at the House of the Epiphany here today, gathering about 45 participants to discuss Sarawak’s role within the Malaysian federation.

Organised by The Sarawak Initiatives and led by speaker and political analyst Prof James Chin, the session served as a platform for attendees to voice out their opinions and concerns on the future of the state.

Discussions centred on economic rights, autonomy, and the structure of federalism.

“Everybody in the group agrees on the following: the first point is that to move forward, Sarawak must have a strong economy – we must regain our economic rights,” the academician told reporters when met after the dialogue.

Chin added that oil and gas resources, in particular, were mentioned multiple times as critical assets for Sarawak’s economic development.

Autonomy in key areas was another major theme, as he said that the attendees agreed that the state must have autonomy in key areas like education.

“Education was mentioned a few times, and also people mentioned about security. And, you know, we must also try to take back as much of our resources as possible.”

Concerns about the current federal structure were also discussed during the session, particularly on the Ninth Schedule of the Malaysian Constitution.

“A lot of people believe that the current structure of federalism – the Federal List, State List and Concurrent List – is problematic. Even though that was the topic, a lot of people spoke outside the topic.

“I think the reason for that is not because they don’t want to talk about it; it’s because many people lack the understanding of the legal mechanism of the federal-state relationship.”

The dialogue also highlighted the need for greater public understanding of Sarawak’s position within the federation, in which Chin said there should be more education on understanding this matter.

He then commended the attendees for spending their time at the session and voicing out their concerns and opinions.

“This shows that Sarawakians do care about their future, and that they hope for good things for the state,” he added.

Batu Kitang assemblyman Dato Lo Khere Chiang was among those attending the dialogue.