By DayakDaily Team
KOTA KINABALU, Sept 12: Royalty payments, stamp duty taxes, and continental shelf demarcation are key unresolved issues at the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) Technical Committee level, soon to be escalated for further discussion between the Prime Minister of Malaysia, the Premier of Sarawak, and the Chief Minister of Sabah.
In a news report by TVS, Deputy Prime Minister Dato Sri Fadillah Yusof explained that issues have already been deliberated by the MA63 Technical Committee and were during the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63) meeting held today.
“Previously, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Sabah brought one of these issues to court, making it a legal case, and therefore, it cannot be openly discussed further. Let the top leaders engage in talks; I believe they will find a solution,” he said.
He made these remarks during a press conference after the first MTPMA63 meeting of 2024, chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) today.
Earlier in the meeting, Fadillah mentioned that the federal government, as well as the governments of Sabah and Sarawak, agreed to continue discussions on the unresolved matters.
“We have agreed to bring matters in the ‘agree to disagree’ category or unresolved issues, where Sabah and Sarawak hold strong views, to the highest level.
“These matters will be discussed among the Prime Minister, Sarawak Premier, and Sabah Chief Minister,” he added.
However, no date has been set for the upcoming discussion among the three leaders.
Meanwhile, four other issues were discussed at the MTPMA63 meeting, including an increase in the number of Sarawak and Sabah representatives in Dewan Rakyat. — DayakDaily
