THE Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Ministry will continue to pursue the state’s rights on tourism matters under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Its Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the matter will be pursued in collaboration with the Deputy Minister of the Premier’s Department (Law, MA63 and Federal-State Relations) and the State Attorney-General Chambers.
“This is to ensure that Sarawak will be given the executive authority rights to manage and regulate the needs of the tourism industry in our own state,” he said in his ministerial winding-up speech today.
Abdul Karim was responding to Datuk Lo Khere Chiang (GPS-Batu Kitang) who earlier raised the issue on autonomous rights for the tourism sector in Sarawak.
“My ministry will continue to engage with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture (MoTAC) on the proposal to amend “tourism” in item 25A from the Federal list (List I) to Concurrent list (List III) in the Ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution,” he said.
Earlier on Nov 12, during the question-and-answer session of the sitting, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Sebastian Ting in reply to Lo said that discussions between the state and federal governments are ongoing on the reinstatement of the autonomous rights for the tourism sector to the state.
“Looking back at the history, tourism was never mentioned in any of the list, either in Federal List, State List, or Concurrent List in the Ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution.
“Hence, by virtue of Article 77 of the Federal Constitution, tourism should fall under the state legislative power as it is a residual matter,” he had said.
