KOTA KINABALU: Senator Tan Sri Anifah Aman has dismissed claims by former law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim that Sabah and Sarawak are trying to “control Malaysia”.

In a Facebook post, Anifah, who is also Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) president, described Zaid’s remarks as “historical fiction” and a “twist of facts” that misrepresent the history and intentions of Sabah and Sarawak.

“I have always admired your flair for historical fiction, particularly when it casts Sabah and Sarawak as cunning masterminds outwitting hapless Malaya. Your latest tale on the Borneo Bloc as some grand ploy for “control” is, as ever, a masterpiece of selective memory—though one might charitably call it a twist of facts that would make even the most imaginative screenwriter blush,” said Anifah in response to Zaid.

He stressed that Sabah and Sarawak did not join Malaya on a whim, but negotiated Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) as equal partners in forming a new federation, with solemn constitutional promises etched in stone—not some colonial handout brokered by Whitehall or an astute Lee Kuan Yew.

Anifah added: “Seventy years ago, you say? How quaint. Sabah and Sarawak didn’t “ask their British masters” to join Malaya on a whim; they negotiated Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) as equal partners in forming a new federation, with solemn constitutional promises etched in stone—not some colonial handout brokered by Whitehall or an astute Lee Kuan Yew. Whitehall? Please. The Inter-Governmental Committee, led by Sabahans and Sarawakians (among whom were my uncles the late GS Sundang and Sedomon Gunsanad) alongside Malayan representatives, hammered out those terms. But why let tedious accuracy spoil a good yarn?”

He also rejected Zaid’s portrayal of the Borneo states as gatekeepers restricting outsiders from business or work, saying that Sabah’s doors have always been open to genuine economic partnership.

Anifah added that Sabah’s legal and political actions including claims involving Petronas operations, the Petroleum Development Act, and the Law of the Sea are lawful assertions of constitutional rights, aimed at securing guarantees such as the 40 per cent revenue share under MA63, rather than attempts to dominate federal governance.

He noted that these claims include 30 unresolved MA63 points validated by courts, including the recent Kota Kinabalu High Court mandamus.

“Sabah fights not to dominate, but to reclaim what Malaysia’s Constitution owes us. Perhaps one day your admiration might extend to engaging those facts, rather than rewriting them for dramatic effect,” he said.

On Monday, Zaid claimed on Facebook that Sabahans and Sarawakians are trying to “control Malaysia,” arguing that their push for autonomy, constitutional rights and state privileges amounts to an attempt to influence national decision-making.