PM Anwar: MA63 is a national responsibility

BY ALEXANDRA LORNA & JACINTHA JOLENE

KUCHING: Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) is a national wa’ad (promise) and responsibility that must be upheld collectively, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He said the federal government remained committed to studying and implementing the provisions and previous decisions related to MA63, stressing that the agreement represented a commitment made by the country’s founding leaders.

“Under my leadership, MA63 is a national wa’ad, a national responsibility, which must be answered nationally,” he said in his speech during the Malaysia Day 2026 celebration held at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here tonight (Sept 16).

Anwar said the implementation of MA63 should not be viewed as a matter of West Malaysia negotiating separately with Sarawak and Sabah, but as a shared national responsibility.

He said negotiations remained necessary for matters that were complex and could not be implemented automatically, adding that discussions should be conducted in the spirit of cooperation between the federal and state governments.

“Is it easy? No. But what is the difference? I see this not as a matter of the Peninsula versus Sarawak or Sabah versus the Peninsula,” he said.

Anwar said several matters under the MA63 framework had already been resolved, including the recognition of the Public Works Department (PWD) and Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) in Sabah and Sarawak as technical departments, as well as the appointment of permanent representatives from both states to the Inland Revenue Board.

He also cited the transfer of regulatory power over electricity to Sabah and the return of Bintulu Port ownership to Sarawak as examples of progress in implementing the agreement.

On the proposed increase in parliamentary representation for Sabah and Sarawak, Anwar said the Cabinet had agreed in principle to increase the number of seats in the next redelineation exercise.

He said the leaders of both states had also stressed that any increase should result in a better ratio of parliamentary representation for Sabah and Sarawak compared with the current arrangement.

“The important thing is that the ratio must increase,” he said, adding that the details, including the number of seats, would be negotiated with the Election Commission before being tabled in Parliament.

Anwar also described the development of Sarawak’s energy sector as a matter of national interest, saying cooperation between the federal and Sarawak governments could strengthen Malaysia’s position as a regional energy hub.

He said negotiations involving Sarawak, including discussions with the Asian Development Bank in Manila, should be viewed as efforts undertaken on behalf of Malaysia as a whole.

“We must think in that direction. I invite and emphasise whether in Sabah or Sarawak or the Peninsula, our narrative is a national narrative.

“We cannot advance, cannot resolve things if we assume this is the people of the Peninsula talking to the people of Sarawak. No. I come to discuss MA63 as a Malaysian, as a person safeguarding the interests of the Peninsula, the interests of Sarawak and the interests of Sabah. Our shoulders move forward together,” he said.