KUCHING: The first meeting of a special steering committee of the Federal Cabinet on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 was welcomed by Kuching MP Dr Kevin Yii.
The meeting on Sunday was chaired by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and also in attendance were the chief ministers of Sabah and Sarawak.
It was part of efforts by the federal government to restore Sabah and Sarawak’s status as equal partners of Malaya in the federation of Malaysia as specified under Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution, and to deal with the rights of Sabah and Sarawak to their natural resources such as oil and gas.
Yii hoped for a proper revision of the special grants to Sarawak under Article 112 (d) of the Federal Constitution.
This, according to him, would be a historic step in restoring what was rightfully the states’ as well as correct the wrongdoings of the previous government as they pertained to their autonomy and equal standing in the federation.
“I welcome the committee, especially the fact that it involves different minds from different fields aimed at examining and identifying the legal rectifications needed to restore our rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963,” he said in a written statement.
“This for me is the main difference compared to the previous committee. Under the Barisan Nasional government, the discussions were mainly done behind closed doors among politicians who were mostly intent on maintaining the status quo.”
While acknowledging reservations expressed by the GPS government on the composition of the committee, he said during a recent conversation with Law Minister Datuk Liew Vui Keong, he was given assurance that any decision made by the committee would be based on consensus rather than the majority vote. This assurance was also communicated to Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg, thus allaying the concerns that Sarawak voices would be drowned out.
Yii also welcomed the passing of a motion to add extra members from Sabah and Sarawak to the steering committee to give more representation as well as input from different specialists namely, Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Wilfred Madius Tangau; Deputy Speaker of Sarawak State Legislative Assembly,Gerawat Gala; Sarawak Assistant Minister of Law, State-Federal Relations and Project Monitoring,Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman; Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Chong Chieng Jen and former Sabah State Attorney-General Stephen Foo.
To him, this step is important to regain Sarawak’s rights under the MA63 and also shows sincerity and political will in recognising the state’s special status under the agreement.
“I myself brought this issue up in Parliament multiple times not just because it is part of our manifesto and promise, but also for the interest of the people of Sabah and Sarawak who were short-changed and had our rights including those to equitable distribution of wealth and reasonable development in the state eroded over the years under the previous government,” said Yii.
He hoped that the government would act on the recommendations of the committee, and not just produce a report that was nice to see or nice to read, but without tangible and proactive steps to address all the wrongs.
