PENAMPANG: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today gave assurance to immediately resolve any long-standing issues relating to matters agreed between the federal and Sabah governments in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
To avoid further delays, Anwar said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof had also been instructed to chair the MA63 Action Council as a platform to resolve the matters.
The MA63 Action Council also comprised Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali and Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Datuk Ewon Benedick, who are Members of Parliament for Papar and Penampang respectively in Sabah.
“Doing our best to resolve MA63 issues. Within its first year, the MADANI Government has resolved more issues relating to MA63 than what have been done over the past 10 years,” Anwar said when officiating the closing ceremony of the Kaamatan Festival at Kadazandusun Cultural Association’s (KDCA) Hongkod Koisaan Hall here today.
Also present were Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzli, Armizan, and KDCA president Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan.
Anwar said the federal government under his leadership has no problem at all to fulfil what was promised in MA63 as soon as the Sabah government is ready in all related matters such as the handover of Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) ownership to the state government.
Last January, it was reported that the federal government had agreed to hand over the regulatory power of Sabah’s electricity supply and SESB to the Sabah government in phases as part of an effort to dignify MA63.
Anwar said the Federal government is always concerned about Sabah’s needs and has never neglected its responsibility to deal with the problems faced by the state. In fact, he said the allocation channelled to Sabah is also higher than other states.
He said the government’s concerns were not only to fulfil the demands in MA63, but also to lure investors, improve infrastructure and eradicate hardcore poverty in the state.
“Since I became Prime Minister, if we look at the total allocation for Sabah in 2022, it was RM12.9 billion. In 2024, I increased it to RM16 billion.
“So, people who attack us should remember, it’s true that we haven’t decided on the Sabah’s claim for 40 per cent of the state’s revenue, but this RM16 billion is far more than the promised 40 per cent.
“I have only been Prime Minister leading the new MADANI Unity government for one and a half years, but during this period, I have increased Sabah’s allocation…an additional RM4 billion, the highest in our country,” he said.
The Prime Minister explained the matter since there are parties including members of Parliament from the Unity Government making criticisms as if the federal government is denying Sabah’s rights and marginalising the state.
Claims and criticism can be easily made, but do not deny all the allocations or efforts done by the federal government in helping to boost the development of the state, he added.
