‘SMILING’ LIEW VUI KEONG SHOWS SABAH-SARAWAK’S SOUR-GRAPES RIVALS THE WAY FORWARD WITH POSITIVE POLITICS: PUTRAJAYA TO STUDY S’WAK STATE ASSEMBLY DECISION ON MA63, PROMISES MINISTER

KUCHING: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong will monitor the resolution of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

Liew said he would leave the issues concerning MA63 and the Federal Constitution for the state assembly to deal first. Putrajaya will then study the decision of the assembly, he added.

“We will wait for the assembly to deal with it tomorrow and then after that we see what the decision on the motion will be,” the Borneo Post quoted him as saying after paying a courtesy call on Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg in Petra Jaya, here today.

“But I’m very happy that this is the desire of Sarawakians wanting to restore whatever that had been agreed upon under MA63 to be hotly debated in the House tomorrow.”

Liew said he would monitor what is happening in DUN Sarawak today through live-streaming on social media.

“I can look through the live streaming on social media, so it’s as good as I’m here. We want to see what happens in the assembly because these are the voices of the people translated through their state assemblymen.”

On the meeting with Abang Johari, he described it as “fruitful”, adding: “It has been a wonderful time together when we discussed various issues concerning the matters that are very close to the heart of Sarawakians.”

Asked to define ‘fruitful’, Liew said: “Fruitful in the sense that we agreed to come out smiling.”

He added that they had agreed to look into various issues that had been brought up by Abang Johari as well as matters regarding MA63.

Liew said Abang Johari “has been very passionate about MA63, and he wants to ensure that the rights of not only the Sarawakians and also the counterparts of Sabah are well preserved in pursuant to MA63”.

He said Abang Johari “wants everything to be looked into” given that “there is no such thing as a piecemeal in this case since the MA63 is a package”.

As far as MA63 is concerned, Liew pointed out that the historical facts remain the same, and that what had been agreed upon in pursuant to MA63 “are there”.

“Like in Sarawak, you have the 18-point (agreements) whereas in Sabah we have our 20-point (agreements). These are the historical facts that cannot be altered or changed. I don’t think we have any disagreement on all that,” he said.

THE SUN DAILY