Kota Kinabalu: Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup (pic) said his Ministry is pursuing two major items under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), including the return of Federal land and the devolution of powers to manage scheduled waste to Sabah.
“Under my Ministry, there are two big items I am pushing to fulfil MA63 within my jurisdiction,” he told reporters after attending the Sesi Bersama Pemimpin in conjunction with Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s Minggu Suai Mesra programme for the 2026/2027 session, here, Tuesday.
"The first is the return of Federal land. This year alone, since I took over this Ministry, I have returned eight lots of land from the Federal Government back to the Sabah Government,” he said, responding to a question on whether Sabah is on track to secure full autonomy over environmental management.
On the second item, Arthur said Parliament passed an amendment allowing the power to manage scheduled waste under the Environmental Quality Act to be devolved to Sabah and Sarawak, but the State Government must first table its own enactment or ordinance before the power could be handed over.
“We cannot devolve this power if the State does not yet have the legal basis to receive it,” he said, adding that he understood the State Government was targeting the tabling of the enactment at the next State Legislative Assembly sitting.
He said his Ministry had already done its part and it was now up to the State Government to take up the devolved power.
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