KUCHING: Do not merely pay lip service when it comes to the powers and rights of Sarawak as listed under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Serembu assemblyman Miro Simuh, who made the point, said what would be more important would be to return or implement the agreement accordingly and immediately.
“Return what has been demanded by Sarawak and Sabah, as the regions in the country, instead (like) of any ordinary states in the peninsula,” he told reporters after the ‘Borneo Youth – Agent of Change in a New Malaysia’ forum held here yesterday (Jan 14).
“We want nothing more than what was listed in the MA63, those rights that have been eroded over the years,” he said.
Miro, who is also Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Youth chief was commenting on Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, stating that Sabah and Sarawak have been accorded the status of region and that the two regions have contributed a lot to the country’s economic development for decades.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister said it is now the best time for the government to develop both Sabah and Sarawak and the MA63 needs to be implemented immediately.
Miro said former Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had also made similar statements before, thus, he hoped that more rights would be returned to Sarawak soon.
Earlier, he also said, it was necessary to ensure that people from all walks of life could understand MA63 well.
“It is true that we have been talking about MA63 for many years but still many people don’t understand it. If we give too much detail, people find it complicated and difficult to understand “So, it is not for us to mention too much on legal articles or terms when explaining it to the villagers. We need to find a way to make it simple and understandable,” he added.
Those who have internet access, he said, should make full use of it to learn more about the agreement.
He stressed that not only Sarawakians or Sabahans need to understand the agreement but every Malaysian should know about MA63.
“Only then can we form a mutual understanding among Malaysians – also people will understand that we are a region. We used to have four regions (including Singapore), now there are only three,” he said, adding that this was among the things that everyone in the country needed to learn about.
