Why fear making MA63 report public, says Sabah PH

 

Sabah Pakatan Harapan chief Christina Liew (third from left) with the other state coalition leaders. (Sabah PH pic)

KOTA KINABALU: The leadership council of Sabah Pakatan Harapan today urged the federal government to disclose the final report of federal-state discussions on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

The leaders of the four Sabah PH component parties said making the report public would be an opportunity for the whole nation to appreciate as well as understand the significance and importance of MA63.

“Historical and factual misinterpretation over MA63 has been one of the reasons why the full implementation of MA63 is still a challenge even after 58 years of the formation of Malaysia,” they said in a statement here today.

“Enough has been done to whittle away the rights of Sabah and Sarawak over the years,” the statement said. “It is time the federal government took the responsible approach of laying out the facts truthfully as they are.”

The leaders said the public had no knowledge about the existence and composition of any committee to discuss issues raised by Sabah and Sarawak, nor was there any detailed explanation or transparency in the efforts made to continue the implementation of the provisions of the agreement.

“Now, they also want to bury the final report under the Official Secrets Act. What is the government afraid of?” the statement said.

Today’s statement was signed by Sabah PH and state PKR chief Christina Liew, Upko president Wilfred Madius Tangau, state DAP chief Frankie Poon and Amanah chief Lahirul Latigu.

The PH council issued the statement after Sabah and Sarawak affairs minister Maximus Ongkili reiterated in the Dewan Rakyat recently that there was no requirement to disclose reports on the ongoing discussions over issues pertaining to MA63 as yet.

Ongkili had said it was premature to make any announcement on the ongoing talks, adding matters concerning MA63 were still under negotiation.

“The reports are quite technical and the documents are confidential. They should be protected, as provided by the law.

“However, the government will make announcements from time to time, once we have reached a common stand on matters,” he said in reply to a question from Sri Aman MP Masir Kujat in his winding-up speech on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Sabah PH leaders said 17 out of the 21 MA63 issues tabled by the Sabah and Sarawak governments during the PH administration had been jointly approved.

The remaining four issues involve oil royalties, petroleum cash payments, minerals, oil fields; the Territorial Sea Act 2012 and the state’s rights over the continental shelf.

In another statement, Warisan’s Kota Belud MP Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis hit out at Ongkili for saying there was no requirement to disclose the ongoing discussions over MA63.

She said his statement ran contrary to the spirit of the memorandum of understanding that Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob had recently signed with PH.

She also said Ongkili was duty-bound to disclose the progress on the four unresolved issues as they are of public interest and because the MA63 issue is part of the MoU signed with the government. - FMT