KOTA KINABALU – Partial autonomy for health and education are among matters currently being refined by the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) secretariat, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
He said the proposed autonomy would empower Sabah and Sarawak to take charge of the hiring of staff and development matters, while the federal government will continue to hold power over funding for both areas.
“The proposals are now being discussed and detailed (in the MA63 secretariat). We are waiting for the procedures and terms for Sabah and Sarawak, so they can be detailed at the federal level.”
“This means empowerment (for both states) in terms of hiring staff in health and education, as well as planning. For instance, everything about hospitals was decided in Putrajaya, the (federal) planning of which even the state was unaware. So when it comes to prioritising (development), the state would now decide,” he said when asked about the progress of the MA63 implementation here today.
Fadillah said this after attending the Cocoa Board appreciation ceremony at a five-star hotel here.
He had previously said that autonomy in the fields of education and health are among matters Putrajaya had in principle agreed to return to the Bornean states.
When further asked about the progress of the MA63 secretariat, Fadillah noted that it is currently focusing on areas that can be easily resolved first.
The Petra Jaya MP also said it was conceptually agreed that any federal land reserves in Sabah and Sarawak that remain undeveloped within five years would be returned to the two states.
In return, he said the states will return the funds paid for the land as compensation to the federal government.
He added the state would also have to pay for the expenses to build infrastructure and other items if such lands have been developed but abandoned.
Among the complex matters currently being looked into by the secretariat is the effort to raise the number of Dewan Rakyat seats for Sabah and Sarawak.
He said the Borneo states must have one-third of Parliament’s seats to protect their special privileges in accordance with the spirit of Malaysia’s formation.
Fadillah said the matter requires a two-thirds majority in Parliament and needed consensus between the legal bodies of Sabah, Sarawak, and the federal government.
Meanwhile, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor said he discussed speeding up implementation of the remaining Pan Borneo Highway project packages with Fadillah earlier today.
20 out of the 35 packages under Phase One of the highway have yet to start, as they have been unfunded for the last two years after the project delivery partner model was terminated without securing any sukuk bonds to raise funds.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya recently expressed hope that Putrajaya’s RM20 billion allocation will be used for completing the highway.
Sabah’s portion of the Pan Borneo Highway has three phases. The last progress update reported in January stated that only 71% of Phase One of the project was completed. – The Vibes, May 8, 2023
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