Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says MA63 claims must be settled through rational discussions, not hostility, with RM17 billion spent annually on Sabah development
KOTA KINABALU: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has stressed that claims under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 must be resolved through rational discussions rather than confrontation.
He said the MADANI Government remains committed to comprehensively addressing MA63 matters through negotiations under the Technical Committee of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council.
“This is being discussed now,” Anwar stated at the ‘Rancakkan MADANI’ programme here today.
“Datuk Seri Fadillah chairs the technical committee; we have meetings to discuss. If we agree, we implement it; if not, we discuss again and vote again. This is how we cooperate, not by ‘going to war’.”
Regarding the claim for a 40% revenue return for Sabah, the prime minister urged all parties to first study and understand the matter thoroughly.
“I visited the Jalan Gaya earlier, and people were shouting about Sabah’s 40% revenue. Listen and understand first. Yes, it is in MA63, but over the past three years, we have been discussing it,” he explained.
On October 23, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof confirmed that 13 of the 29 MA63 claims discussed under the agreement had been classified as resolved.
Anwar, who also serves as Finance Minister, revealed that the federal government spends RM17 billion annually on Sabah for education, health, security and infrastructure development.
He noted this amount significantly exceeds Sabah’s own revenue collection of approximately RM10 billion per year.
“We take the RM10 billion revenue, and we give back RM17 billion. Why? Because there is cooperation between the Federal and state governments,” Anwar said.
“We use the revenue to develop all states in Malaysia. Sabah is slightly behind, so we provide more assistance.”
The prime minister emphasized that the government continues supporting opposition-led states like Kelantan and Perlis with flood mitigation projects costing billions of ringgit.
“This is our responsibility, to take care of Malaysia. Children in Sabah, Kelantan, Perlis are all Malaysian children. We want everyone to live well and happily,” he concluded.
Anwar stressed that Malaysia requires strong leadership capable of uniting people across ethnicities to enhance national unity.
He stated that genuine leadership greatness stems not from combat prowess but from willingness to cooperate and foster unity among diverse Malaysians.
“If a leader is great among the Murut, Kadazan or Dayak, or Bugis or Suluk, their greatness lies in their willingness to cooperate and strengthen unity among us,” he said.
Anwar reaffirmed the MADANI government’s commitment to diligently serve public interests despite his advancing age.
He emphasised that the administration would persist in working hard for the people’s welfare. – Bernama
