FROM REGIONAL CONCERN TO NATIONAL AGENDA, MADANI GOVT STRENGTHENS MA63 COMMITMENT

By Suraidah Roslan

KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 (Bernama) -- The MADANI Government’s commitment to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) is evident in the elevation of the agreement from a regional concern to a national priority, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud.

He noted that the King, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, in his royal address during the opening of Parliament, had explicitly described MA63 as the backbone of the nation’s formation, reinforcing its place in national discourse.

Mustapha said growing engagement from lawmakers across Peninsular Malaysia in debates and questions on MA63 in both houses of Parliament reflected this shift.

Previously, the agreement was often viewed as a regional matter concerning only Sabah and Sarawak, with insufficient appreciation of its central role in the formation of Malaysia, he said.

“When we frame this as a national agenda, people understand that Sabah and Sarawak did not simply ‘join’ Malaysia; we jointly formed it, based on agreed conditions. These conditions remain the source of ongoing debate,” he said in a special interview with Bernama.

As the minister responsible, Mustapha said he sought to harmonise differing interpretations between Sabah, Sarawak and the Federal Government to find common ground.

Differences of opinion, he stressed, must be addressed respectfully and with a shared commitment to truth rather than division.

While some parties have pursued legal avenues, including Sabah’s 40 per cent revenue claim, Mustapha maintained that negotiations through the MA63 Action Council (MTPMA63) remain the primary mechanism for resolution.

The Member of Parliament for Sepanggar said the government’s reform agenda had enabled nine MA63 matters to be resolved within three years.

“This is the commitment of the MADANI Government. Even Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, from the outset, had emphasised the need to respect and negotiate MA63 issues in line with the government’s fiscal capacity,” he said.

In March last year, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, who chairs the MA63 Technical Committee, told the Dewan Rakyat that nine core MA63 claims had been fully settled.

These include the return of administrative authority over Sipadan and Ligitan islands to Sabah; amendments to Articles 1(2) and 160(2) of the Federal Constitution; and the delegation of powers over deep-sea fishing licences and catch management to Sabah and Sarawak.

A review of special grants for both states under Article 112D (RM300 million) has been partially resolved on an interim basis, while policy decisions have also been reached on environmental regulation, labour matters in Sabah and Sarawak, and constitutional amendments concerning the appointment of Judicial Commissioners.

Fourteen further claims remain under discussion, including oil royalties and petroleum cash payments, the Territorial Sea Act 2012, state rights over the continental shelf, and additional public service posts for Sabah and Sarawak under Article 112 of the Constitution.

To improve transparency, Mustapha said his ministry had launched an MA63 dashboard via the Sabah and Sarawak Affairs Division website on Jan 26.

The platform has drawn more than 6,000 visitors, reflecting the government’s commitment to keeping the public informed on the agreement’s implementation, he added.

-- BERNAMA