KOTA KINABALU – A total of 27 matters will be raised in the ministers’ memorandum on Sabah and Sarawak’s demands, particularly concerning the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) which is scheduled to be presented to the cabinet on January 4.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Functions) Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said the matters raised in the memorandum were the result of feedback from the Sabah and Sarawak governments.
“Out of the 27 matters, 22 are directly related to MA63 itself and the Inter-Governmental Committee, while the other five are additional recommendations,” he told reporters after visiting Tanjung Aru Baru residents affected by the high tide here today.
Armizan said one of the five additional recommendations had been announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim recently, namely the handover of gas supply regulatory power in Sabah to the state government.
“It (the regulatory authority) was previously under Sabah, but legal amendments in the 80s transferred authority to the Federation. Acting out of concern for the state government’s request, the cabinet has approved it. Insya-Allah, the authority will be transferred back to Sabah in January,” he said.
Meanwhile, Armizan said coordination of all government agencies’ efforts in dealing with disasters, especially floods, was important to ensure they do not impact the people significantly.
He also called on all government agencies to forge good cooperation with other parties such as non-governmental organisations to better deal with the disaster. – Bernama, December 24, 2022
