By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, April 14: As the federal and Sarawak governments work towards finalising the legal interpretation of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) is instead urging for the agreement to be dissolved through Parliament.
PBK president Voon Lee Shan said the treaty was flawed from the beginning and claimed it was designed to subjugate Sarawak and Sabah under Malaya, enabling the latter to exploit the vast natural resources and lands of the Bornean territories.
He said the Sarawak government should not avoid addressing the matter in Parliament, especially since Deputy Prime Minister II Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof—who was entrusted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in December 2022 to resolve MA63 issues—has stated that there is no intention to take the matter to court.
“The more suitable avenue is to file a Bill to dissolve MA63 in Parliament,” Voon said in a press statement today.
Yesterday (April 13), Fadillah during an event in Kuching, reportedly said negotiations regarding MA63 could be referred to the courts for interpretation if negotiations fail.
However, he insists that the federal and Sarawak governments aim to resolve these matters through continued dialogue–not litigation.
Following this, Voon argued that Malaya had acted in bad faith during the formation of Malaysia, pointing out that the rebranding of Malaya as ‘Malaysia’ in its notification to the United Nations suggested that no new nation was formed, but rather an enlargement of Malaya.
“The purpose of MA63 was the subjugation of Sarawak and Sabah. The intentions of the treaty were to take the oil and gas resources and vast lands of Sarawak and Sabah to enlarge Malaya,” he alleged.
Voon further described the agreement as a “scam” in the eyes of nationalists and activists, saying it effectively turned Sarawak and Sabah into colonies of Malaya despite promises of equality and fairness.
“To allow negotiations or to enforce an invalid treaty would be seen by the Sarawakian and Sabahan public as betrayals of their rights—to see no wrongs or illegalities should be put to right or be legalised,” he added.
Citing the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling in the Chagos Islands case—which stated that treaties made by colonies with parent countries are invalid—Voon said this precedent strengthens the call for MA63 to be dissolved.
He stressed that Sabah and Sarawak should be set free and independent first, before any future relationship with Malaya is decided by the people of Borneo themselves.
“The ball is at Fadillah Yusof’s feet and he should not drag the matter anymore,” Voon said.
He also referred to the advice of Lord Landsdowne, chairman of the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC), and Tunku Abdul Rahman, both of whom he said acknowledged the importance of allowing the people of Borneo to determine their own destinies before Malaysia was formed. – DayakDaily
