Kuala Lumpur: Penampang MP Datuk Ewon Benedick urged the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) Supreme Committee to set a clear timeline to discuss and finalise five key issues that remain unresolved at the Technical Committee and MA63 Implementation Action Council levels.
The five issues are oil royalties and petroleum cash payments; oil minerals and oil fields; Sabah’s rights over the continental shelf; the Territorial Sea Act 2012; and stamp duties imposed under the Sabah Land Ordinance and Sarawak Land Code.
The MA63 Supreme Committee is chaired by the Prime Minister and comprises the Sarawak Premier and Sabah Chief Minister.
Ewon said the five matters had been referred to the Supreme Committee after they could not be resolved at the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63) level.
“What we want is a clear timeline. When will the committee meet to decide on and finalise the five matters that have been submitted?” he said when interjecting during a reply by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud in the Dewan Rakyat, Monday.
Ewon said he acknowledged the progress made in implementing MA63, including the resolution of 16 matters, but stressed that the five outstanding key issues also required urgent attention.
He said matters concerning state revenue and the protection of Sabah’s rights under Article 161E of the Federal Constitution were particularly important to the people of Sabah.
“I believe that after this House is dissolved, we will all return to the people, especially in Sabah, and the people will certainly ask about the Federal Government’s commitment to implementing MA63.
“This is not just about the achievement of the 16 matters mentioned earlier, but also the five key issues that remain unresolved,” he said.
He also questioned whether the Supreme Committee was committed to, and would have the opportunity to, discuss and finalise the outstanding matters before the next general election.
Ewon said the same issues had been discussed when he was part of the Federal Government and continued to be raised after he returned to serve in the Sabah State Government.
“Therefore, the question of a timeline is very important, not only to us in Sabah, but also to the people of Sarawak and the whole of Malaysia,” he said.
In response, Mustapha said a meeting of the Supreme Committee depended on the availability of the Prime Minister, Sarawak Premier and Sabah Chief Minister.
He said the Sabah and Sarawak Affairs Division would continue to monitor the matter to ensure the three leaders could convene a meeting.
Mustapha also explained that resolving the five issues required mutual agreement through negotiations between the Federal Government and the Sabah and Sarawak state governments, and that the Federal Government could not decide on them unilaterally.
Of the 16 matters resolved so far, 12 were settled under the Madani Government, while the remaining four had been resolved by previous administrations.
