MA63: Sabah, Sarawak should set up joint committee on rights - Kit Siang

 

The Sabah and Sarawak state legislative assemblies should set up a joint committee on restoring their rights according to Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), moots DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang.

In a statement, the Iskandar Puteri MP said the Federal Constitution Amendment 2021 Bill that was passed in Parliament earlier this week was historic, but only a first step towards restoring Sabah and Sarawak rights.

"What happened in Parliament last Tuesday was only the first step in the restoration of the lost rights of the people of Sabah and Sarawak in the last half-a-century, and there is much work to be done.

"I suggest the Sabah and Sarawak state assemblies should set up a Joint Sabah-Sarawak State Assemblies Committee to Restore Sabah-Sarawak rights according to Malaysia Agreement 1963," he said.

Lim said the committee should present a list of reparation actions that must be acted on by the federal government and demand compensation from the federal government for half a century of neglect.

He said the people of Sabah and Sarawak were denied rights to equitable financial allocations, true state autonomy especially on education and health, fair apportionment of oil funds, and development resources.

DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang

"Sabah and Sarawak joined in the corruption game and became two of the most corrupt states in the country...

"Their governments were allowed to abuse their immigration autonomy rights to deny West Malaysians entry for legitimate political activities, and in the process, a few became super-rich while ordinary Sabahans and Sarawakians became very poor.

"This state of affairs has gone on for half a century and should be rectified."

The bill, which was passed on Tuesday (Dec 14), will see MA63 being placed on equal footing with the 1948 Federal Agreement and the 1957 Federal Agreement.

It was passed with a more than two-thirds majority through a bloc vote. - Mkini