KUCHING, Feb 2: The return of one-third of Dewan Rakyat seats to Sabah and Sarawak, as stipulated in Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), is still being discussed, according to Deputy Prime Minister Dato Sri Fadillah Yusof.
According to a Bernama news report, Fadillah stated that the matter will take two to three years to complete because it will go through many stages, including three main committees, namely the MA63 Steering Committee, MA63 Technical Committee, and MA63 Implementation Action Council, as well as involve various parties.
He also highlighted that the MA63 technical committee chaired by himself would first discuss issues related to MA63, adding that once a matter is decided at the technical level, it would be sent to the implementation action council for final approval before being presented to the Cabinet as the next step towards amending related legislation.
Once it has Cabinet approval, only then will the proposed amendments be tabled in Parliament where two-thirds majority support is required to pass the bill, Fadillah told reporters after appearing as a guest on RTM’s ‘Naratif Khas Bersama Timbalan Perdana Menteri’ programme.
During the programme, Fadillah, who is also Plantations and Commodities Minister, emphasised that the one-third parliamentary seat allocation for Sabah and Sarawak would prevent unilateral constitutional amendments that might eliminate the rights of the two states enshrined in MA63. — DayakDaily
