By Adrian Lim
KUCHING, Nov 11: Land given to the federal government will be returned to Sarawak for development as part of the resolution under negotiations of Sarawak’s rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
This was among the five matters which was resolved during the said negotiations between the Sarawak government and the Perikatan Nasional (PN) federal government.
Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Law, State-Federal Relations and Project Monitoring) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali said other matters which have been resolved include labour, environment, distribution of gas, and the provision of special grants to the state government.
“A committee has been set up involving the Sarawak government and the federal government to refine a comprehensive approach for the implementation process
“It was agreed that the land given to the federal government in Sarawak will be returned to the state.
“This will be implemented based on the Sarawak Land Code and the Federal Constitution,” she said at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting here today in reply to Datuk Juanda Jaya (PBB-Jemoreng) who wanted to know the latest updates on the negotiation of Sarawak’s rights under MA63.
Concerning labour matters, Sharifah Hasidah said the federal government has agreed to give autonomy to state authorities to draft subsidiary laws under the Labour Ordinance.
She added the labour law will be implemented in Sarawak taking into consideration the state’s unique conditions.
As for environment matters, Sharifah said the federal government has agreed to delegate the power under the Environmental Quality Act 1974 to the state government.
She added it was for the state government to regulate matters involving the environment including scheduled waste.
“Thus, the state government has made amendment to the Natural Resources and Environment Ordinance for the delegation of power.
“Follow-up action is being pursued especially with regards to the implementation of scheduled waste,” she added.
Concerning the distribution of gas, Sharifah Hasidah revealed the state government has applied for exemption from the federal government for those with licences under the Gas Distribution Ordinance to obtain licences from the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry.
She explained that the federal government has agreed to delegate its power for the distribution of gas to the state government in accordance to the Distribution of Gas Ordinance 2016.
As for special grants by the federal government to the state government, Sharifah Hasidah said the state government will continue to negotiate with the federal government on the formula and procedure to review finance matters so that the amount of special grants is in the best interests of Sarawak and her people.
Earlier, Sharifah Hasidah revealed the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) state government had presented 13 demands to the federal government
She added that out of the 13 demands, five demands have been solved while four demands are still under negotiation, and four demands are being discussed under a joint committee for these matters.
Sharifah Hasidah said the Sabah and Sarawak Affairs Ministry in the Prime Minister’s Department has also been appointed to monitor the implementation of the decisions made at the Special Council on MA63. — DayakDaily
