KUCHING – Former federal law minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar has observed a general lack of awareness of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) among many civil servants.
He said many of them view the agreement as “a mere state sentiment”, when it should be regarded as “a national agenda”.
“Many civil servants don’t understand because they don’t read, including the government officials. That’s why they cannot see what MA63 is actually about.
“It is not the sentiments of Sabah and Sarawak, but it is a fact that Sabah and Sarawak have the rights and (they) must be implemented.
“It is not a mere sentiment; otherwise, Malaysia itself would not exist.
“So from 1963 to 2016, it seems that the rights of Sabah and Sarawak have been sidelined,” he told The Borneo Post in a recent interview.
The former Santubong MP also expressed hope that proposed amendments to several critical provisions pertaining to MA63 would be tabled in Parliament soon.
He said the proposals had already been drafted when he was still in the federal cabinet under former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Wan Junaidi also said a proposal to amend the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) Bill for the appointment of Sabah and Sarawak representatives on its board had already been agreed upon by the cabinet under the previous federal administration.
“The proposal to appoint Sabah and Sarawak representatives on the IRB board of directors was already drafted in 2022. The only thing that had not been made at that time was the appointment – everything’s already planned, and the IRB law had been drafted.
“Now, the appointment has been made by our current Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. So the task now is to complete this by tabling the amendment to the IRB Bill.
“So that means that the appointment is made at the discretion of the finance minister.
“Remember, the agreement had been made in 2022, but the appointment of the representative was not made in 2022… and that appointment has been done by (Anwar), but not through legislation. It’s based on administration.
“The law relating to the IRB has yet to be amended.
“I haven’t received any news about this. So the law needs to be amended to determine whether the appointment of Sabah and Sarawak (representatives) on the board of directors is protected under legislation.”
Wan Junaidi also spoke about the long list of MA63 matters including amendments to move tourism under the Federal List of Schedule 9 of the federal constitution to the Concurrent List, as well as the power to appoint Sarawak judicial commissioners to be reverted to the governor.
“We have planned this during the previous government.
“First it’s the (provision over the) appointment of the judicial commissioner, which existed in 1963 but was repealed and amended in the 1985 constitution to centralise such appointments.
“So that means we have lost our right to decide who should be appointed to become our judicial commissioners. So as I have said, this must be reverted to the original one.” – Borneo Post Online, May 8, 2023
