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MEMBERS of Parliament from Perikatan Nasional have formally submitted a motion to the Dewan Rakyat seeking a full parliamentary debate on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s recent explanation regarding the Malaysia–Indonesia border issue, arguing that a one-way briefing is insufficient for a matter of national sovereignty.
Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (PN–Machang) said the motion was filed under Standing Orders 18(1) and 18(2), stressing the need for a two-sided debate to address unresolved and unclear issues, particularly the status of 5,207 hectares of land said to fall under an Outstanding Boundary Problem.
“We are demanding from the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat because a one-way briefing alone is not enough. There should be a debate involving both sides, the government and the opposition,” he said at a press conference at the Parliament Media Centre on Thursday.
Wan Ahmad Fayhsal said the opposition wanted clarification on what the Prime Minister meant by references to the 5,207 hectares, which he claimed had been portrayed as belonging to neither country.
“This is because we want to ask Tambun what he meant by the term that the 5,207 hectares are not Malaysia’s, but have already become Indonesia’s, yet are being described as though they are ‘no man’s land’,” he said.
“We urge the Speaker to reconvene a special sitting on this national border issue involving Malaysia and Indonesia, because we are concerned that the loss may indeed have already occurred,” he added.
On Wednesday, Anwar was reported as saying that the Outstanding Boundary Problem areas between Malaysia and Indonesia cannot be regarded as belonging to either country, as they have yet to be formally resolved by both sides.
The Prime Minister was responding to reports alleging that Malaysia had handed over 5,207 hectares of land to Indonesia as compensation for three villages in the Nunukan area near the Sabah–Kalimantan border, namely Kampung Kabungalor, Kampung Lepaga and Kampung Tetagas.
Wan Ahmad Fayhsal also questioned why a previously approved debate session following the Prime Minister’s briefing had been withdrawn. He said such a debate was crucial to address existing gaps and to allow the public to assess the arguments presented by Members of Parliament.
“We need transparency because any issue involving the redrawing of national borders must be handled as provided for in the Federal Constitution under Article 2,” he said.
He noted that Article 2 requires any change to national boundaries to receive approval and consent from the State Legislative Assembly of the affected territory.
“Yesterday, Semporna (Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal) also raised the issue that no approval had been granted in relation to any redrawing of boundaries within Sabah, nor was there any consent from the Conference of Rulers,” he said.
The opposition’s move underscores heightened political scrutiny over border negotiations and calls for greater parliamentary oversight on matters involving territorial integrity and constitutional procedure. - February 5, 2026