“We are one country, and there must be cooperation between all parties – the states and federal government – to further strengthen Malaysia.

“In my view, there is no such thing as a Borneo bloc. Who is creating the Borneo bloc? No one,” Bernama reported him as saying in Kota Kinabalu.

Hajiji said action must be taken to avoid confusing the public with narratives and labels that separate the two states from the rest of the country.

The idea of a Borneo Bloc was first broached in 2010 as a grouping of political parties when Jeffrey Kitingan of Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku announced the formation of the Force United Borneo Front to push for Sabah and Sarawak’s rights under the Malaysian Agreement 1963.

Eight years later, the idea of a Borneo Bloc cropped up again following the exit of Sarawak’s ruling parties from Barisan Nasional. A group of leaders from Sabah, including Kitingan, welcomed the idea on grounds that such a bloc would allow Sabah and Sarawak to work together on ensuring MA63 rights.

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.

Sarawakian rights activist Peter John Jaban later criticised Zaid, saying his comments were insulting, reckless and dismissive of Sabah and Sarawak’s position in the country.

The Saya Anak Sarawak founder said framing Sabah and Sarawak’s pursuit of their constitutional safeguards as a game of “outwitting Malaya” was “arrogant, condescending and offensive”.

He said MA63 was never a political stunt, but a binding agreement that formed the foundation of Malaysia.