By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 4: Sarawak has stressed that all outstanding matters under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), which have been under negotiation for nearly a decade since 2016, must be prioritised and resolved before December 2026.
Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said the prolonged discussions on MA63 implementation required renewed focus to ensure that unresolved issues could be concluded within the targeted timeframe.
He made the call during the Technical Committee Meeting under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63) No. 2 of 2026 held in Putrajaya on Monday (Aug 3).
The meeting was chaired by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak) Datuk Ts Mustapha @ Mohd Yunus Sakmud, who is also the deputy chairman of the MTPMA63 Technical Committee.
The Sarawak delegation was led by Uggah together with fellow Deputy Premiers Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan and Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian.
The meeting was also attended by Deputy Minister in the Sarawak Premier’s Department (Law, MA63 and State–Federal Relations) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali, the Sarawak Attorney-General, State Financial Secretary, Deputy State Secretary (Economic Planning and Development), heads of departments and senior Sarawak government officials.
According to a statement, the Sabah and Sarawak Affairs Division (BHESS) of the Prime Minister’s Department presented the latest progress on MA63 implementation during the meeting.
To date, 13 matters under MA63 have been resolved, while five matters have been addressed on an interim basis.
Two matters remain unresolved but have received policy decisions, four matters are still under discussion, and another five matters have been referred for consideration and decision at the highest level.
Among the key issues discussed were the expansion of staffing positions for the Sabah and Sarawak State Public Services under Article 112 of the Federal Constitution, the implementation of Borneonisation of the Federal Public Service in Sabah and Sarawak, healthcare and education matters, the devolution of environmental authority, and development of the Sabah-Sarawak-Kalimantan border areas.
Mustapha also directed all federal ministries and agencies to cooperate in prioritising the settlement of outstanding MA63 issues to accelerate implementation.
The Sarawak government reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with the federal government and Sabah government to ensure the full implementation of MA63, in accordance with the spirit of federalism and in the interests of the people of Sabah and Sarawak. — DayakDaily
