KUCHING, Sept 2: The Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) issue is no longer something that concerns just Sabah and Sarawak; it has become a “national issue”, opined Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) deputy presidential candidate Rafizi Ramli.
However, he observed that understanding of this matter is “not uniform” across the country, where West Malaysians generally view Sabah and Sarawak merely as two of the 13 states that make up the federation of Malaysia.
To nurture better understanding, Rafizi, who is challenging Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali for the party’s deputy president post, believed politicians needed to take centre stage.
“There are different interpretations (of MA63), and the people of West Malaysia understand it differently from the people of Sabah and Sarawak. The understanding of MA63 is not uniform across the country.
“As it is now, the issue of MA63 is extremely sensitive, including in the peninsula. It is actually a national issue,” he told DayakDaily in an interview today.
“This is where national leaders and other politicians have to play a much bigger role to bridge the gap.”
But Rafizi emphasized that it would be a process and not something that could be resolved overnight.
On the possibility of the matter being brought to court, Rafizi opined it was more of a political issue rather than a legal one.
“It is understandable if there are parties who want to bring the interpretation to court, but I think it is a political issue that requires a political solution,” he said. — DayakDaily
