Sharifah Hasidah (seated centre) is seen with pupils and school officials.
KUCHING: The next Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) Steering Committee meeting will be held at the discretion of Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, said Assistant Minister of Law, State-Federal Relations and Project Monitoring Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali.
“So now we are still in the negotiation (on returning Sarawak’s rights). The Prime Minister will be calling for another meeting. We will wait for the results of the negotiation,” she said when officiating at the SK Agama Datuk Haji Abdul Kadir Hassan Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah 2019 talk yesterday.
Sharifah Hasidah had previously said an MA63 steering committee meeting could be held after Hari Raya Aidifitri.
She said the outcome of the meeting would be jointly announced by Dr Mahathir and Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg, urging patience as negotiations are ongoing.
“Negotiations on matters related to the MA63 are still ongoing and we just have to wait for the outcome,” she said.
When quizzed by reporters on the date and location of the next steering committee meeting, she said it would hopefully be held in Sarawak before the year end, but added it would be the Prime Minister’s decision.
She pointed out that a meeting was recently held in Sarawak between officers from the state and federal governments to prepare an interim report on the progress of negotiations for the 16-member steering committee.
However, she said the interim report was meant for internal use only and not to be disclosed to the public.
During the UPSR talk, Sharifah Hasidah announced a grant of RM5,000 for the school’s management board to assist in carrying out activities and programmes for the benefit of pupils.