By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 18: Sabah and Sarawak will have a bigger role in education planning and health administration following breakthrough agreements reached at the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) Technical Committee meeting today.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the federal government together with both Sabah and Sarawak governments agreed that the Borneo States will now be involved in planning education development projects, will have access to information on the transfer of senior officers and will receive allocations for professional development programmes.
On health, Fadillah revealed that Putrajaya has consented to increase management and development expenditure in the two States, grant certain autonomous powers to the State Health Directors and strengthen human resources in the Sabah and Sarawak health departments.
“Matters that are not yet agreed will continue to be discussed in the joint action committees under the Education and Health Ministries respectively,” he said in a statement today.
The meeting, which Fadillah chaired in Kuala Lumpur today, was attended by representatives from the federal government, Sabah and Sarawak including Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Datuk Ewon Benedick, Minister of National Unity Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang, Sarawak Deputy Premiers Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan and Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian, as well as Sabah Deputy Chief Ministers Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan and Datuk Ir Shahelmey Yahya.
Two briefing papers presented by the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability were also endorsed to be brought to the MA63 Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63) meeting which will be chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in Kuching on Sept 12.
“Other outstanding claims under MA63 will continue to be monitored by the Technical Committee and by related working committees under the respective ministries,” Fadillah added. – DayakDaily
