KUCHING, Oct 20: Bandar Kuching MP Kelvin Yii is urging Sabah and Sarawak Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili to report on the progress of the restoration of rights under Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) in the upcoming Parliament session scheduled from Nov 2 to Dec 15.
Dr Yii asserted that since Perikatan Nasional (PN) took over the federal government until today, no related announcement has been made yet and little is known on what had been discussed by the special committee on MA63.
“On the contrary, the PN government put the Special Cabinet Committee on MA63 report done during the PH (Pakatan Harapan) government under Official Secrets Act (OSA) when 17 out of 21 items had been agreed upon.
“They even shelved the formation of the MA63 parliamentary select committee that was agreed upon to monitor the implementation of the said agreements,” he emphasised in a statement today.
Asserting that this long-standing issue that has deprived Sabah and Sarawak of their rights was of public interest and which people were keeping an eye on, Dr Yii reminded Ongkili of the promise he had made on March 13 that one of his main tasks would be to solve issues surrounding MA63 within six months.
“More than six months have passed and even in the last Parliament session, no legislation or even amendments were passed with regards to MA63.
“Even in July 2020, YB Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, the Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister from Sarawak, claimed that there were discussion between the state and federal governments on matters related to one-third representation in Parliament for Sabah and Sarawak, and even said that there will be an announcement in September 2020 about the matter.
“We do not want this Ministry (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) to be formed purely as an attempt to shore up political support for this unstable PN government but not producing any tangible results for the people,” he said.
The concerns, Dr Yii emphasised, were not just on the rights of Sabah and Sarawak but it has a significant effect on the understanding of the current federation, in which “our rights and the spirit of the formation of Malaysia should not be treated as if it can cause national harm or disorder for it to be placed under OSA.”
“As such, the progress of the Ministry must be made known as we do not want a window-dressing Ministry, drawing hard-earned taxpayers’ money with nothing to show.
“They (PN government) cannot use Covid-19 as an excuse because there are relevant ministries focused on handling the pandemic, (so) the other ministries can continue to function and push for necessary reforms under its jurisdiction,” he urged.
In addition, Dr Yii revealed that questions regarding healthcare, education, economy, Pr1ma and the government response to Covid-19 have also been submitted. — DayakDaily
