KUCHING: The proposal paper for the setting up of the Special Cabinet Committee on Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) to review and propose measures to rectify the status of MA63 based on current legislation will be presented to the federal Cabinet this week.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong said the presentation would also include the line-up of the Special Cabinet Committee and related terms of reference.

“We are in the process to present it during the cabinet meeting this week because it needs Cabinet Memorandum Circular (CMC) to be given to the respective ministry,” he said when met after visiting the Kuching High Court here, today.

Prior to this, Liew, who is the minister-in-charge of law, revealed in Parliament that the Minister’s Cabinet had agreed to the formation of the committee which would comprise of representatives from the Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak who have expertise in the matter.

The committee has been tasked to produce a detailed report on the matter within six months from the date it is set up which will then be presented to the government.

This committee will study and propose corrective measures in relation to matters on the status of the MA63 in the context of current legislation; efforts to improve the people’s understanding towards the MA63 through the education system; implementation of the concept of federalism across the three territories – Peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak; the rights of Sabah and Sarawak to natural resources as well as oil and gas; administrative matters that can be delegated to the states; the amount of allocation that is within the rights of Sabah and Sarawak; and amendment to Article 1 of the Federal Constitution.

Meanwhile, Liew said the Special Cabinet Committee on MA63 does not need to go into the history of the agreement because there are common issues which have been agreed upon by the special cabinet committee.

“I think we are going to look straight into the administration, the implementation of Malaysia Agreement 1963,” he added.

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Source : Borneo Post Online

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