By BORNEOTODAY REPORTERS
PENAMPANG: The actual implementation of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (or better known as MA63) would be the key to a prosperous State, a Parti Warisan Sabah leader said, while wondering aloud why the Umno-led Barisan Nasional State government is not serious in pursuing the issue.
Darell Leiking, the party’s deputy head said that if the State enforces the 40 percent special entitlement (not to be confused with the annual budget given by the Federal government to Sabah) calculated from 1963 to date, a likely quantum could amount to more or less RM1 trillion.
He also said that Sabah could be in total control of its Continental Shelf, which may invalidate PETRONAS’s petroleum activities in the State, paving the way for a State-owned oil company to be fully in charge with our petroleum reserves.
“Would this not make Sabah as rich as Brunei or even richer,” Leiking who is also Penampang Member of Parliament contended.
“These are all the things which we need to know whether it’s true, or not, and thus we should allow for a full debate to take place in Sabah State Assembly to debate this matter and for the Government of the day to reveal to all.”
ACROSS THE BORDER, SARAWAK IS PUSHING HARD FOR THE ACTUAL IMPLEMENTATION OF MA63; ITS STATE LAWMAKERS ARE FREE TO DEBATE ON MANY ISSUES RELATING TO SARAWAK-PUTRAJAYA’S RELATIONSHIP
Leiking pointed out that Sabah could join hands with Sarawak by also sending its own legal team to London so that the Federation will know that the ‘Borneo Block’ is becoming a reality in its pursuit to enforce Article 8 of the Malaysia Agreement 1963.
He said in a statement that these are the things which Warisan will immediately do upon taking over the State Government, saying he knows the electorate would expect the same.
He was responding to reports that Sarawak will be sending a team of lawyers to London to search for, and study, any references related to the state’s rights under MA63.
On Saturday, Abang Johari Tun Openg, the Sarawak Chief Minister said a team led by Law, Federal-State Relations and Project Monitoring assistant minister, Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali “to look for and get the references”.
“This agreement is not simply an agreement; we want to get the facts right because if we want to make a claim, we must do our homework, otherwise we are just shooting at the target without actually hitting it,” he was quoted saying.
Making his stand known, Leiking reiterated the need for UMNO BN-led State Government to show its commitment to uphold the State’s rights and privileges within the Federation of Malaysia.
“Although talks of committees and its recommendations have been repeated on numerous occasions, I am saddened by the apparent non-committal nor urgency on the part of the State Government in pursuing the actual implementation of MA63.
“Sarawak is pushing hard for the actual implementation of MA63 while the best that our State BN leaders can do is to establish the ‘Sabah Rights Committee’ that is distinctively similar to the Committee that came out with the non-binding ’20 Points’ in 1962,” he said.
He pointed out that Musa Aman until now has not allowed the debate on MA63 to take place in the State Assembly nor has encouraged his majority BN backbenchers to have a debate at the State Assembly on matters which have clearly breached the MA63.
“But why is it that Sarawak allows its State lawmakers to freely debate on issues relating to Sarawak-Putrajaya’s relationship such as the motion for review of Sarawak’s petroleum royalty of 20 percent tabled on a joint effort by the BN Sarawak as well PKR Sarawak Chief, Baru Bian and supported by Adenan Satem the previous chief minister,” added Leiking.
