Sabah ethnic group denies Masing's accusation that state is dawdling in fight for MA63 rights

KOTA KINABALU: The Malaysia Kadazan Dusun Murut Association (KDM) has come out to deny Parti Rakyat Sarawak president Tan Sri Dr James Masing's accusation that Sabah is taking the wait and see approach in fighting for rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

KDM president Datuk Peter Anthony (pic), who is also Sabah’s Infrastructure Development minister, said the state government led by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal has been consistent in their fight for rights under MA63.

“There might be differences in approach as to how Sabah and Sarawak choose to handle and get back rights under MA63, but Masing should not use this as a political mileage,” he said in a statement here, Sunday (April 5).

He said Sabah and Sarawak always had close relationships with each other and there has been no meddling in one another’s way of governance all this while.

“The statement issued by Masing is a black mark in Sabah and Sarawak’s history of governance and must be stopped immediately,” Anthony said.

He also urged Masing to apologise to the Sabah government for his comments.

Masing had also said earlier that Sabah and Sarawak should stand together to fight for their rights, instead of Sabah riding on Sarawak’s coattails all the time.

Anthony said in terms of petroleum rights under MA63, Sabah had passed a bill to amend land law to enable tax collection.

Anthony also said Sabah had just started its path in gaining back all rights under the agreement, whereas Sarawak had long prepared themselves in terms of legislation.

Apart from that, he said Sabah had worked towards getting the MA63 to be debated in Parliament to restore Sabah and Sarawak to their original status according to MA63.

“But this failed because it did not get the needed two-thirds majority in Parliament because a majority of Barisan Nasional MPs from Sabah and those from Sarawak abstained from voting,” he said.