Move to restructure MA63 committee

KOTA KINABALU: All Sabah and Sarawak federal ministers may be included in the technical committee of the council overseeing the implementation of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) under a restructure.

Datuk Ewon Benedick said the committee currently comprises Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof as the chair, the three Sarawak Deputy Premiers and three Sabah Deputy Chief Ministers.

He said Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali also sat in the committee previously in his capacity as the federal minister in charge of Sabah and Sarawak affairs, as well as himself (Benedick) after being appointed to the committee last June.

“What we are proposing now is for Fadillah to remain as the chairman as well as the deputy premiers and deputy chief ministers to stay as representatives of their respective state governments.“The proposed improvement is to have all five Sarawak ministers sitting in the federal Cabinet to be in the technical committee, besides myself and Armizan.

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