KUALA LUMPUR: Penampang MP Datuk Ewon Benedick has urged the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) Supreme Committee to set a clear timeline to discuss and resolve five key issues that could not be settled by the MA63 Technical Committee and Implementation Action Council.
The five issues are oil royalties and cash payments for petroleum; oil minerals and oilfields; the state’s rights over the continental shelf; the Territorial Sea Act 2012; and stamp duty imposed under the Sabah Land Ordinance and Sarawak Land Code.
The MA63 Supreme Committee is chaired by the Prime Minister and comprises the Sarawak Premier and Sabah Chief Minister.
Ewon said the five issues were referred to the Supreme Committee after they could not be resolved at the MA63 Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63) level.
“What we want is a clear timeline. When will the committee meet to decide on and finalise the five issues that have been submitted?” he said, when interjecting during a reply by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud in the Dewan Rakyat.
Ewon said he appreciated the progress in implementing MA63, including the resolution of 16 issues, but the five outstanding key issues also required urgent attention.
He said matters concerning state revenue and the protection of Sabah’s rights under Article 161E of the Federal Constitution were important to the people of Sabah.
“I believe that after this House is dissolved, we will all return to the people, particularly in Sabah, and the people will certainly ask about the Federal Government’s commitment to implementing MA63.
“This is not just about the achievement of the 16 issues mentioned earlier, but also the five key issues that remain unresolved,” he said.
He also questioned whether the Supreme Committee was committed to, and would have time to, discuss and finalise the issues before the next General Election.
Ewon said the same issues had been discussed when he was in the Federal Government and were still being raised after he returned to serve in the Sabah State Government.
“Therefore, a timeline is very important, not only to us in Sabah, but also to the people of Sarawak and the whole of Malaysia,” he said.
In reply, Mustapha said a meeting of the Supreme Committee would depend on the availability of the Prime Minister, Sarawak Premier and Sabah Chief Minister.
He said the Sabah and Sarawak Affairs Division would continue to monitor the matter to ensure that the three leaders could meet.
He also explained that resolving the five issues required mutual agreement through negotiations between the Federal Government, Sabah State Government and Sarawak Government, and that the Federal Government could not decide on them unilaterally.
Of the 16 issues resolved, 12 were settled under the Madani Government, while the other four were resolved before it took office. – Wu Vuide
Ewon said he appreciated the progress in implementing MA63, including the resolution of 16 issues, but the five outstanding key issues also required urgent attention.
