THE Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) needs to be clearly understood by all parties before they make any inaccurate assumptions or draw conclusions about Sabah and Sarawak.
Emphasising this, Sarawak Premier, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, said that recently, many parties, including those in the Peninsular, do not understand the structure of the Malaysian Constitution, especially those involving the rights of Sarawak.
According to him, MA63 is not just a political agreement for a particular party, but it is a legal document that is valid at the international level.
He said that the rights and special position of Sabah and Sarawak cannot be denied because they are guaranteed under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“These rights cannot be disputed or arbitrarily erased because they are international documents registered with the United Nations (UN).
“If the new generation does not know this history, how will they understand why Sarawak and Sabah have certain rights? We do not want the Constitution to be amended and those rights to be denied,” he said.
He said this at the 9-Year Townhall session with the Premier in Kuching, Sarawak, recently.
Commenting further, Abang Johari said that the date of Sarawak's independence, if it was according to the original plan, was on August 31, but the objections and revisions had to be carried out by the UN after several issues were raised by the Philippines and Indonesia.
He explained that this led to the postponement of the formation of Malaysia, which finally took place on September 16.
"This proves that MA63 went through a legitimate international process," he said.
He drew attention to the fact that Malaysia will only become a strong country if all the people understand the history, the structure of the Constitution and the true basis for the formation of the Federation of Malaysia, including the position and rights of Sarawak as guaranteed under MA63.
Abang Johari said that since the beginning of the formation of Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak have been recognised as founding partners, hence the one-third shareholding for them should be maintained to protect the future of the country.
He said that the National Land Code, for example, does not cover Sarawak's land affairs.
"In the Peninsula, there is the National Land Code, but Sarawak has its own Sarawak Land Code. We are independent in terms of land affairs.
"What applies in Malaya does not necessarily apply in Sarawak. This is history and specific provisions,” he said.
Also present at the Townhall session were Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof; two Deputy Premiers, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan and Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian. – January 16, 2026
