- nabalunews
MA63 final report must be made public - Sabah PH
25 Sept 2021
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Pakatan Harapan (PH) Leadership Council stressed that the final report of the Malaysian Agreement 1963 (MA63) be made public.
The council reasoned that this is an opportunity for the whole nation to appreciate and understand the significance and the importance of the MA63.
Historical and factual misinterpretation over MA63 has been one of the reasons why the full implementation of MA63 is still a challenge even after 58 years of the formation of Malaysia.
“It is time that the federal government must take the responsible approach of laying out the facts truthfully as it is. Enough has been done to whittle away the rights of Sabah and Sarawak over the years,” they said in a joint statement today.
It was signed by PKR Sabah Chief Datuk Christina Liew, UPKO Presidet Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau, Sabah DAP Chief Datuk Frankie Poon Ming Fung, and Amanah Sabah Chief Lahirul Latigu.
The council stated that in the previous PH federal government, a total of 17 out of 21 matters tabled by the Sabah and Sarawak governments at the Cabinet special committee meeting to review the implementation of MA63 have been jointly approved.
The remaining four issues are pertaining to oil royalty issues and petroleum cash payments; oil minerals and oil fields: Territorial Sea Act 2012 TAct 7501 and state rights over the continental shelf, they added.
“There was transparency in how the discussions took place between the federal government and the state government of Sabah and Sarawak.
“The composition of the committees that was formed were also made known to the public. Regretfully, much cannot be said with the current federal government and the previous Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.
“The public has no knowledge of the existence and composition of any committees and there is no detailed explanation or transparency on the efforts made to continue the implementation of MA63.
“Now, they want to bury the final report under the Official Secrets Act (OSA). What is there to be afraid of by this government? The MA63 has been the most openly discussed matter in the country.”
They asserted that Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili, a Sabahan himself, should appreciate that to ensure MA63 is fully respected and implemented, it is important that every stakeholder understands and supports it.
“By being transparent of the process and making the final report public, it would be an opportunity to educate and impress upon the nation and its people that MA63 is a matter of national importance and not only the concerns of Sabahans and Sarawakians.
“Its successful fulfilment will be a catalyst to drive Malaysia forward with its people united together to guide its leaders in ensuring the success of this nation as how our forefathers have had envisioned when they signed the Agreement in 1963,” the council said.
