KOTA KINABALU – A steering committee has been formed to expedite the collection of data on the historical contents and legal aspects of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), said Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili.
The minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Sabah and Sarawak affairs said in a statement today that the steering committee, comprising members from the Sabah and Sarawak Affairs Division (BHESS), Sabah Law Society (SLS) and Institute for Development Studies (IDS) Sabah would be compiling all historical facts that led to the formation of Malaysia 58 years ago.
“The steering committee will develop a syllabus on MA63 and formation of Malaysia for schools, tertiary students, and public reference.
“It will be coordinated by BHESS and the drawing up team led by SLS, with input from IDS and the Education Ministry, as well as members of academia, to develop the syllabus for the target groups,” he said.
Earlier, Ongkili chaired an online meeting with senior lawyers from SLS led by its president, Roger Chin and IDS board members, headed by its chairman, Mohd Yaakub Johari.
Ongkili said they aimed to produce what would be legally and academically acceptable, hence helping to eliminate inaccurate interpretations, and instead provide a true reflection of events and agreements.
“There have been a lot of interpretations on MA63 out there, and we hope this syllabus will set the record straight. We want to prevent the public from being misled from the true reflection of the historical agreement,” he added. – Bernama, June 29, 2021
