By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, June 10: Sarawak and Sabah’s claims are based on provisions under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and not in any way challenging the power of the federal government, says Chief Political Secretary to Sarawak Premier, Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman.
He was referring to Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim’s statement dated June 10, who, among others, accused Sarawak’s actions of challenging the power of the federal government.
“It should be explained that what Sabah and Sarawak have been demanding so far is not a new matter.
“The demands are based on what is enshrined under the MA63, which is the agreement signed upon the formation of Malaysia. Without the agreement, it is not possible for a country called Malaysia to exist,” Fazzrudin said in a statement today.
He also mentioned that the MA63 has already been referred to as a constitutional instrument under the Federal Constitution.
“This proves how important MA63 is in determining the rights and position of Sabah and Sarawak in the Federation of Malaysia.
“All matters demanded are due rights based on the original agreement and the Federal Constitution.
“As the late Pehin Sri Adenen Satem once emphasised before, that is ‘no more, no less’,” he added.
Touching on oil and gas as well as the establishment of Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (Petros), he said the matter is also based on existing laws in Sarawak, such as Oil Mining Ordinance 1958 and Distribution of Gas Ordinance 2016.
The same applies to matters of education and the use of the English language in Sarawak, where they are enshrined in Paragraph 17 of the Inter-Governmental Committee Report (IGC) 1962.
“Therefore, requests and demands from Sarawak should not pose a challenge to the federal system (federalism); on the other hand, every issue or right claimed is in line with the rights of Sarawak under the Federal Constitution, and it is further strengthened by the existence of the MA63 which is fought for through good and harmonious diplomacy and negotiation between the federal and Sarawak governments.
“This proves the ability of the federal government to cooperate well with the Sarawak government, and it is not a weakness. The ability to collaborate and resolve issues and not only requests from Sarawak and Sabah is evidence of the success of the federalism system and the good relationship between the federal and Sarawak governments,” he emphasised. — DayakDaily
