MP to broach review of M’sia Agreement in Parliament

Darell Leiking says it is important to address root causes of unhappiness in East Malaysia and why people are openly talking about secession.

KOTA KINABALU: Penampang MP Darell Leiking, taking the cue from Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail in Kota Kinabalu recently, disclosed that he would make another bid in Parliament for a Special Committee to review the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) as due in 1973 but which was never honoured.

“If there’s a review of MA63, there won’t be any talk of secession in Sabah and Sarawak,” said Darell who submitted a motion in Parliament for a review of MA63 two years ago but was shot down on the grounds that “it was not urgent” although such a review is four decades overdue.

He was commenting on the AG’s speech at the opening of the Sabah and Sarawak Legal Year last weekend by Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Richard Malanjum.

Gani, a Sabahan, had said that Point 7 of Sabah’s 20 Points Agreement, a constitutional document on Malaysia, rules out secession. However, he conceded, that the people can decide “not just a disgruntled minority”.

Darell stressed that it was important to address the root causes of unhappiness in Sabah and Sarawak and why the people were openly talking about secession. “The discontent primarily stems from marginalisation,” he added.

“A review will help determine whether the current status of Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysia was in line with the intention of the Founding Fathers in Borneo and in compliance with Article 1 of MA63.”

MA63, he pointed out, called for a new Constitution and a new Federation called Malaysia as an Equal Partnership of Sabah, Sarawak and Malaya (with Singapore incorporated via merger).