13 out of 25 claims MA63 Sarawak completed

MIRI, 13 Sept: A total of 13 out of 25 Sarawak claims under the 1963 Malaysia Agreement (MA63) have been resolved, while several other claims are still in the process of negotiation between the Government of Sarawak and the Federal Government.

Deputy General Secretary of the United Party of Pesaka Bumiputera (PBB), Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali said that the development reflects continued progress in Sarawak's efforts to regain rights enshrined in MA63.

According to him, among the major achievements that have been achieved include a State Sales Tax (SST) quota of five per cent on exported petroleum commodities, which provides additional income to Sarawak.

"With this tax imposition, we have received additional funding of about RM3 to RM5 billion annually. This is in addition to Sarawak's overall income or earnings", he said while delivering the Malaysia Agreement Summary 1963 (MA63) at the inauguration ceremony of the special party convention of the United Party Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Sarawak Zone North at the Miri Closed Stadium, here today.

He said that Sarawak has also made progress in several other matters including the regulatory authority over gas distribution, amendments to Article 1 (((2), Article 160 ((2)) and Article 161A of the Federal Constitution, as well as recognition of Public Works Department (JKR) and Irrigation and Sewerage Department (JPS) as technical departments for implementation of specific projects in Sarawak.

He said the state government also managed to recover some land that was previously handed over to the Federal Government for project development purposes but is no longer needed.

"By 2025, 64 lots of land have been completed handed back to the Government of Sarawak and efforts to recover other lots are still ongoing", he said.

Sharifah Hasidah said that some progress was also achieved in the meeting of the Malaysia Agreement Implementation Action Council 1963 (MTPMA63) chaired by Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in Sabah on Friday.

Among them was an agreement to accelerate the gradual completion of the Federal Public Service sector in Sarawak, as well as efforts to strengthen the policy of Borneonisation.

He said Sarawak also continued to fight for the proposal of transferring tourism from the Federal List to the Joint List so that the policy and regulatory powers related to the sector can be shared between the Federal Government and the Sarawak Government.

In related developments, the Prime Minister also announced the government's agreement in principle to increase the representation ratio of Sabah and Sarawak Parliamentarians, in line with MA63 spirit.

"The matter is not fully resolved but the Honourable Prime Minister has made a commitment to ensure that representation ratios are raised for the Sabah and Sarawak seats", he said.

He added that amongst Sarawak's remaining priorities are demands related to health autonomy, including decentralization and power reduction so that the state has more power to manage health aspects according to local needs.

According to him, Sarawak also took a firm stance on some of the issues considered uncompromising, including immigration power, rights to land crops within Sarawak's borders, rights related to continental plates as well as royalties and petroleum products.

"Our struggle is not easy. The expectations are very high, but we will continue to fight for our right to be respected and implemented according to the Constitution as well as MA63", he said. - TVS