Cabinet nod sought for federal ministers from Bornean states to sit on MA63 committee

KOTA KINABALU: The restructuring of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63) technical committee could see all Sabah and Sarawak federal ministers included in it.

Datuk Ewon Benedick said the present structure comprised Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof as the chair, as well as the three Sarawak Deputy Premiers and three Sabah Deputy Chief Ministers.

The Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister said Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali also sat in the committee previously in his capacity as the Sabah and Sarawak affairs minister, as well as himself (Benedick) after being appointed to the committee in June.

“What we are proposing now is for Fadillah to remain as chairman, and for the deputy premiers and deputy chief ministers to stay as representatives of their respective state governments.

“But the improvement is to have all (Sabah and Sarawak ministers) from the Federal Cabinet, including myself and Armizan, who is now Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister, to be in the technical committee.

“But the restructuring proposal must be brought to the Cabinet first for approval,” Benedick said when met at the Penampang parliamentary service centre near here on Monday (Jan 22).

The Penampang MP had been asked to comment on Fadillah’s statement last week about the restructuring of the committee.

The Deputy Prime Minister had said during a working visit to Sabah on Saturday (Jan 20) that a minor reshuffle was needed to bring Armizan back into the committee.

Asked when Fadillah would call the new committee’s first meeting, Benedick said it would be in the first quarter, provided the Federal Cabinet agreed to the restructuring.