KUALA LUMPUR – The matter of returning the one-third seat composition in the Dewan Rakyat to Sabah and Sarawak as stipulated in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) is still in the discussion stage, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
However, he said the matter will take two to three years to complete as it needs to go through several stages including three main committees, namely the MA63 Steering Committee; MA63 Technical Committee; and MA63 Implementation Action Council, as well as involve various parties.
Fadillah said the MA63 Technical Committee chaired by him would discuss issues related to MA63 by topic and prioritise those that did not involve complicated legal or technical matters.
“Once it is decided at the technical level, it will then be taken to the Implementation Action Council for final approval before being presented to the cabinet to make amendments to all related laws.
“So the process is still long. We also have to get cabinet approval, before tabling it in Parliament which requires two-thirds majority support,” he told reporters after appearing as a guest on RTM’s Naratif Khas Bersama Timbalan Perdana Menteri programme.
Earlier in the programme, Fadillah said that the one-third parliamentary seat allocation for Sabah and Sarawak was important as it would not allow the peninsula to amend the constitution, which may eliminate the rights of the two states as enshrined in MA63.
In addition to the parliamentary seat allocation, he said the return of autonomy on education and health to Sabah and Sarawak was also currently in the discussion stage.
On the Sarawak First slogan, Fadillah said it was created to restore the spirit of the people of Sarawak to together build and develop Malaysia.
He said although there were calls for Sarawak to leave Malaysia, the Gabungan Parti Sarawak leadership has expressed its commitment that the state will remain part of Malaysia. – Bernama, February 2, 2023
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