KUALA LUMPUR – The special council on Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MKMA63) has agreed to the proposed amendment of Article 1(2) of the federal constitution to restore Sabah and Sarawak to equal status in the Federation of Malaysia.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili said the matter was decided on during a three-hour meeting of the council chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob yesterday.
“The amendment will restore the original definition of the Federation of Malaysia,” he said in a statement here today.
The proposal was presented by Law Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, who is heading the MKMA63 committee on this matter.
A similar proposal was done in 2018 under the then Pakatan Harapan government.
However, Wan Junaidi told the meeting that the difference between that proposal and the current one is that the latter also includes a proposed redefinition of Article 160(2) of the federal constitution, and not just Article 1(2).
He said that the current amendments would specify the status of states aligned with the Malayan Federation agreement in 1957, the Malaysia Agreement in 1963, and after Singapore left in 1965.
On October 2, Wan Junaidi had promised that Putrajaya would table a bill in Parliament to reinstate the rights of Sabah and Sarawak within 100 days.
The minister had said that the government, with the assistance of the Attorney-General’s Chambers, was looking at amending several critical legal provisions in the Malaysia Agreement 1963.
Given that this is one of his portfolio’s top priorities, he said, the plan is to complete the process of tabling the bills in the lower house as part of his 100-day key performance indicators.
Ongkili today also said that MKMA63 has agreed that the proposed bill be tabled in the upcoming sitting of Parliament, which convenes next week.
“MKMA63 will continue to discuss matters that have been implemented and ensure the rights of the people in Sabah and Sarawak will be restored, especially via the MKMA63 committee’s resolutions,” he said.
On another note, the committee also agreed to return to Sabah and Sarawak the rights to issue deep-sea fishing licences.
In the meeting, Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee presented a paper on the proposed agreement to give authority over fisheries, which includes issuance of licences for fishing vessels and equipment. It would allow the states to have control over fishing activities in zone C, which is now under the authority of the federal government. – The Vibes, October 19, 2021
