Liew
KOTA KINABALU: Restoring Sabah and Sarawak’s status as equal partners with Peninsular Malaysia in the formation of Malaysia is scheduled to be discussed on the first day of the Parliamentary sitting on March 9.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Law Datuk Liew Vui Keong said the issue is scheduled to be the first agenda of the first parliament sitting for this year.
“The first agenda we have agreed on with the Chief Ministers of Sabah and Sarawak and the Prime Minister is to restore Article 1(2) to make Sabah and Sarawak the territories with the same footing as Peninsular Malaysia,” Liew said.
Speaking to reporters at his Chinese New Year open house on Sunday, Liew said there are four other preliminary issues with regards to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) that have not been settled.
“I have arranged for a further meeting with the Chief Ministers and Prime Minister scheduled for the end of February to continue to engage with each other and discuss on unsettled and other related issues,” he said.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad chairs the Special Cabinet Committee to Review the Implementation of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) alongside the Chief Ministers of Sabah and Sarawak with their respective Attorney-Generals.
Of the 21 issues brought up by the two states, both the federal and state governments have reached a consensus on 17 issues.
Most recently the Special Cabinet Committee to Review the Implementation of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) agreed to restore the powers of Sabah and Sarawak’s Tuan Yang Terutamas (TYTs) in appointing Judicial Commissioners to hear cases in Borneo.
When asked for an update on the matter, Liew said the appointment of Judicial Commissioners will be dealt with administratively by the Chief Registrar together with the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
“We of course have to look at the judges that have local experiences to handle some of the court cases in Borneo Courts. If the matter can be dealt with administratively, then we do not have to amend the Constitution but we are still looking into that,” said Liew.