Kuala Lumpur: Penampang Member of Parliament Datuk Ewon Benedick (pic) has urged the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) Top Committee to establish a clear timeline to deliberate and finalise five core unresolved matters.
The five issues—referred to the committee after remaining unresolved at the MA63 Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63) and Technical Committee levels—involve oil royalties and petroleum cash payments, oil minerals and oilfields, continental shelf rights, the Territorial Sea Act 2012, and stamp duties levied under the Sabah Land Ordinance and Sarawak Land Code.
Intervening during the ministerial reply in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday, Ewon, who is also Deputy Chief Minister, noted that while 16 MA63 matters have been resolved, a firm schedule is urgently needed to address these remaining state revenue and constitutional safeguard issues before the next general election.
In response, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud stated that convening the top committee depends on the availability of the Prime Minister, the Premier of Sarawak, and the Chief Minister of Sabah.
Mustapha added that resolving the five matters requires mutual consensus through negotiations among the Federal, Sabah, and Sarawak governments rather than unilateral federal action, while noting that 12 of the 16 settled claims were resolved under the MADANI administration.
