Kota Kinabalu: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Haji Noor dismissed the idea of a “Borneo bloc”, stating that it does not exist.
He stressed that Malaysia is a single nation and that cooperation between the federal government and all states – Sabah, Sarawak and those in Peninsular Malaysia – is essential for the country’s success.
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“Narratives suggesting divisions like a ‘Borneo bloc’ should be corrected, as they undermine national unity.
“Sabah and Sarawak cannot and should not be separated conceptually from the rest of Malaysia because all are part of one country,” he reiterated.
Hajiji was responding to mainly peninsula politicians who fear that demands by the Borneo states for the Malaysia Agreement 1963 to be fulfilled as attempts to outwit the peninsula, especially achieving parity in parliament, where both states now are at a loss in challenging any Bill detrimental to them.
Hajiji also said developments in the Middle East are being monitored closely due to their potential influence on energy prices and logistics.
“When there is a conflict like this, especially when it involves oil-producing countries, it will certainly have an impact on global oil prices and supply chains,” he said to the media during the Domestic Higher Education Student Contribution Assistance Initiative (Sentosa) 2026 launching ceremony, here, on Thursday.
He emphasised that these effects are not limited to Malaysia alone but are felt internationally, as global markets are interconnected.
On Monday, former law minister Zaid Ibrahim said in a post on X that the proposal for a Borneo bloc was an example of “how smart Sabahans and Sarawakians continue to outwit and control Malaya”.
He also accused Sabah and Sarawak of challenging federal laws and were claiming “30 items still outstanding from MA63”.
“They said the Borneo bloc is to give them balance and a negotiating position. No, they already have that; now they want control,” he was quoted as saying.
