KUALA LUMPUR – The details of the special committee report on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) cannot be revealed, said Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili, claiming that the previous Pakatan Harapan administration classified it under the Official Secrets Act 1972.
Ongkili (Kota Marudu-PBS) said when he took on the role of minister in charge of Sabah and Sarawak affairs in March last year, following the change in government, documents on the agreement that were handed to him were already marked “secret”.
It is understood that this is in relation to the final report by the MA63 special cabinet committee that was formed by the PH government in 2018 and dissolved in January last year.
Ongkili said efforts are ongoing to iron out matters concerning the deal, including on oil and gas, and that the report may not be declassified until all the issues are addressed.
“It wasn’t me who stamped (the documents as ‘secret’),” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
“The decision then was that, discussions between the federal government and the Sabah and Sarawak governments must continue, and (the report) must not yet be made public.
“However, we can provide a report and give a briefing to Sabah and Sarawak MPs.”
He was responding to a supplementary question by Ahmad Hassan (Papar-Warisan) on whether the government has submitted a progress report on MA63 to the United Nations.
Unimpressed by Ongkili’s decision to pass the buck to PH, Dr Kelvin Yii (Bandar Kuching-PH) said since he has been appointed minister again, there is no excuse for him not to make the call to declassify the report.
You said there was a stamp, and you are the minister now. If you really want to reveal the contents, then declassify – the onus is on you. Don’t keep it a secret any more.
“How many committees have been formed? It has been 1½ years (since the change in government), what is the progress? How much longer must we wait? Don’t blame PH! If it is not a secret, then declassify it.”
Ongkili said the report still needs to be classified as an official secret, maintaining that there are several items that must be sorted out.
There have been calls by various quarters, including opposition MPs, for the government to declassify the report if it is sincere about honouring its promise to Sabah and Sarawak folk.
Law Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar has said it is among his personal goals to see MA63 making significant progress under his watch. – The Vibes, September 30, 2021
