PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim vowed today to devolve more powers to Sabah when the state is ready for it.
He appealed to to the people to stop accusing the state and federal governments of failing to restore Sabah's rights.
"Let's resolve the issue of MA63 with all our efforts now. Within a year, (Tan Sri Joseph) Pairin, who has been following this issue for decades, made demands, and we had discussions. I promise to address the MA63 issue far better than we did 10 years ago.
"People have questioned why I returned Bintulu Port to Sarawak. This is because MA63 stipulates that the ports belong to the state. Of course, Sarawak will cooperate with the federation, as Petronas utilises Bintulu Port.
"As soon as Sabah is ready, whether it's about ports or other matters such as electricity, I have no problem fulfilling what is in the MA63 agreement," he said in Penampang.
He said the issue of the Malaysia Agreement 1963, or MA63, has affected the whole country.
Anwar said he has been criticised by some MPs over the attention he has paid to the two East Malaysian states.
"This sentiment invites other sentiments in other states. It will not help. This sentiment was expressed by people who once held power. When they were in power, they didn't think about all these issues. When they're out of power, they make a lot of noise, demanding this and that," he said.
He said that since he assumed office, he has given more to Sabah than the state's 40% revenue claim.
"In 2022, the total allocation (to Sabah) was RM12.9 billion, and in 2024, it increased to RM16 billion," he said.
"It's true we haven't resolved the 40% issue, but we can see that RM16 billion far exceeds the promised 40%."
Anwar said Sabah must not deny the substantial funds it has received from the federal government.
"I raised Sabah's allocation, which is the highest in our country... I don't know the past stories. But you in the cabinet and CM, know I pay attention. We've never had a direct meeting.
"We asked the DPM to lead the regular reports. If I chair it myself, I fear it will be slow," he said, referring to the technical committee on MA63. – May 31, 2024.
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