KUCHING: Having representatives from Sarawak and Sabah as members of the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) shows an effort towards honouring the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), opines Datuk Dr Madeline Berma.
The honorary professor of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) agreed that by having representatives from both states as members of IRB, the members would also represent the government of Sarawak.
Dr Madeline said this when asked to comment following the submission of names of candidates from both Borneon states to be members of the IRB to the Prime Minister and Finance Ministry.
“This is to ensure that the Sarawak government knows the financial position of the country, for the purpose of allocating and managing money properly based on the rights and laws as enshrined under Article 112 (D) of the Federal Constitution.
“The appointment of the members from Sabah and Sarawak was discussed in the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) set up to finalise the final details of MA63,” she told New Sarawak Tribune recently.
Dr Madeline reiterated that in paragraph 24 (1) of the IGC, it is clearly stated that Sabah and Sarawak must be represented in the IRB.
Meanwhile, Associate Professor Dr Harry Entebang from the Faculty of Economics and Business, Unimas opined that it was appropriate for Sarawak and Sabah to be represented at IRB’s board level as both states are the key stakeholders.
“Currently, Sarawak has proposed amendments to the Federal Constitution as part of the efforts to restore the rights of Sarawak.
“One of the key things that the government has negotiated is concerning Sarawak’s right to impose sales tax on petroleum products and the taxes to be collected from this will be worth billions,” he said.
Dr Harry also asserted that the proposed amendments have nothing to do with not trusting its federal counterparts.
