KUCHING, Dec 17: Sarawak will now have full control over its immigration borders, natural resources, including oil and gas, forest, land as well as everything under the subsoil of the State.
This was made possible, De facto Law Minister Dato Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said, with the passing of the Bill to amend the Federal Constitution based on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
With this Bill, moving forward, Sarawak could legally start reinstating its rights that had been eroded over the decades.
“We had a special agreement upon joining Malaysia in 1963. Over time, those rights and privileges were eroded.
“This amendment addresses those inequities as it places MA63 on an equal footing with Federal Agreement 1948 and Federal Agreement 1957,” he said in a statement today.
He added that many, including Sarawkians, were under the impression that they enjoyed equal rights with those in Peninsula Malaysia, when in fact, they did not.
With MA63 recognised in the Federal Constitution, the State government can now refer back to all the promises made in 1963 and spell out in the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) report, an in-depth study of the Cobbold Commission Report, all the rights to be reinstated to Sarawak and Sabah.
With that, Wan Junaidi reminded all Sarawakians and Sabahans not to buy into the false narratives pedalled by certain quarters who claimed that MA63 was just an election gimmick.
A total of 200 out of 222 MPs voted for the Bill in the second reading, with close to 200 giving the nod in the third reading.
This, he emphasised, was one of those moments where parliamentarians, regardless of their political differences, were in agreement that this was indeed the right thing to do. — DayakDaily
