KOTA KINABALU: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will announce details of what has been agreed upon for the restoration of Sabah and Sarawak rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said an agreement was reached at a meeting by the special committee set up to look into MA63 and its implementation.
The meeting was held on July 2 3.
“It is best that we leave it to the prime minister to make the announcement.”
Shafie, however, said it was no secret that discussions had centred on major concerns, such as Sabah’s rights, oil royalty and autonomy of oil and gas, and also the return of 40 per cent of net revenue collected by the federal government in Sabah to the state government, as stipulated in the Federal Constitution.
“We will continue to demand what rightfully belongs to the state and its people.
“The federal government, under the leadership of the prime minister, has been very open and frank in listening to us,” he said at the State Legislative Assembly, here, today.
Shafie was replying to a question from Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan (STAR-Tambunan), who wanted to know when the state government planned to demand the RM1 trillion due to Sabah.
It was reported that the RM1 trillion allegedly owed to Sabah was calculated from the share of revenue from 1963 when Sabah joined Malaya and Sarawak to form Malaysia.
Shafie said there were other options open to the state in getting back its dues, including taking the federal government to court.
The government has promised to restore the status of Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners with Peninsular Malaysia.
