Kuala Lumpur: Tuaran Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau urged the Government to upgrade the Sabah and Sarawak Affairs Division (BHESS) into a full ministry with its own chief secretary.
According to him, the role, function, duties and responsibilities of BHESS are extensive enough to ensure that the formation of Malaysia through the Malaysia Agreement 1963, Malaysia Act 1963, Inter Governmental Committee (IGC) Report and the Federal Constitution can be implemented.
“This upgrade also ensures governance that meets the requirements of MA63 and is translated into a government delivery system that meets the aspirations of the leaders and people of the two regions that formed Malaysia at that time.
“By elevating BHESS to a full ministry and not just a division under the Prime Minister’s Department, both Sabah and Sarawak can be brought into the flow of national development until we can point out the gaps in regional development as well as regional security.
“It should be remembered that the signatories of MA63 are the United Kingdom, the Federation of Malaya, the State of Sabah, the State of Sarawak and the State of Singapore,” he said during the debate on the 2023 Budget at the Dewan Rakyat.
Madius, who is also Honorary President of the United Kinabalu Progressive Organisation (Upko), said the delivery system in Malaysia today is in turmoil, thus exacerbating the regional development imbalance.
“Malaysia’s mainland Sabah and Sarawak continue to lag behind not because we are late in starting the development process compared to the peninsula, but because of the injustice in the distribution of allocations from federal revenue collection and the failure to fully implement MA63.
“This regional development gap is also the focus of the Ministry of Sabah and Sarawak Affairs when it is created later.
“The existing BHESS Minister needs to make a proposal to the Cabinet by taking the views of the Chief Minister of Sabah and the Premier of Sarawak.
“In fact, I suggest that the BHESS Minister with the Chief Ministers (Sabah and Sarawak), as well as the Chief Ministers from the states in the peninsula, get a broader perspective on how we can build a fair, just and prosperous Malaysia,” stressed Madius.
He also suggested that BHESS focus on Sabah’s rights in terms of revenue sharing as contained in Sections (1) and (2) of Article 112C and Section 2 (1) of PART 1V of the Tenth Schedule of the Federal Constitution.
“It should be remembered that even though Article 112D is closely related to Article 112C, the basis of the grant amount to Sabah remains at 40 per cent of the Net Collection of Federal Revenue from Sabah.
“Article 112D is among other clauses to review the components in the federal revenue list that are included in the calculation of the net amount of federal revenue collection from Sabah.
“Tuaran would also like to see the Sabah and Sarawak Minority Bumiputera Unit be reactivated so that there are details for the Prime Minister’s Department’s Supply 6 Purpose.
“Among the programmes of this unit to develop the Bumiputera Minority of Sabah once upon a time included land management affairs, namely the Pantas system and the progress of the Sabah Native Court,” he said.
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