KUALA LUMPUR – Despite the Barisan Nasional-Perikatan Nasional promise to discuss Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) in Parliament, Putrajaya will not be declassifying the deal, said Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili.
In his written reply to a question from Datuk Ignatius Darell Leiking yesterday, the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said that there is no need to declassify the document.
“At this moment, the government will maintain its stance that there is no need to declassify the MA63 Special Cabinet Committee Report and remove it from the Official Secrets Act (OSA).
“This is because the report before this was a policy agreement that still requires more work before it can be implemented.
“Therefore, the federal government must be given enough space to continue its discussion with Sabah and Sarawak on related matters,” said Ongkili.
He added that any further updates on developments will be given by Putrajaya from time to time.
Ongkili also revealed that all discussions pertaining to the oil royalties and petroleum cash pay-out, oil minerals and oil fields, the Territorial Sea Act 2012, and state rights to the continental shelf are temporarily on hold.
“It is on hold for the time being to make way for a commercial resolution being discussed by the federal government, Sarawak government, Sabah government, and Petronas separately,” said Ongkili.
During Pakatan Harapan’s rule of the country from May 2018 to February 2020, the committee set up by Sabah, Sarawak, and Putrajaya to relook at MA63 had agreed on 17 of the 21 demands by the two states.
These issues were accordingly supposed to be implemented. However, the PN government that took over from PH placed it under the OSA. – The Vibes, November 17, 2021
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