By Ling Hui
KUCHING, Sept 17: Prime Minister Dato Sri Ismail Sabri Yakoob has assured that the rights and equal positions of Sarawak and Sabah in the Federation of Malaysia will continue to be preserved as per the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
He said in last year’s Malaysia Day celebration, the Federal government had promised to give attention to issues regarding the interests of Sarawak and Sabah.
To that, he said, the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2021 which proposed to restore Sarawak and Sabah as equal partners with Peninsular Malaysia, in line with MA63, that was passed in Parliament on Dec 14, 2021 is evidence that the government is serious about strengthening the Borneo States’ position in the Federation.
“This effort is in line with the government’s transformation agenda to restore the confidence of the people, including foreign investors to the government’s ability, in order to ensure political stability and national policy towards development sustainable socioeconomics,” he said.
As the chairman of Special Council on MA63 (MKMA63), Ismail Sabri said the Special Council is not only responsible for unraveling pending issues regarding Sarawak and Sabah’s rights and position, but it also emphasises on efforts to develop them.
“Just like the Malay idiom ‘bersukat sama paras, bertimbang sama berat’ (be given equal standing and equitable sharing), the government wants Sarawak and Sabah to enjoy rapid development together with the Semenanjung states,” he said in conjunction with the 59th national-level Malaysia Day celebration in Melaka last night (Sept 16).
Committed to eliminating the development gap between the West and the East, Ismail Sabri said the government has allocated RM5.6 billion for Sabah and RM4 billion for Sarawak this year for the implementation of projects in terms of water and electricity supply, roads, education and health facilities. — DayakDaily
