Two new members of MA63 technical committee to be finalised

KUCHING: Two new members of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council Technical Committee will be finalised this month, says Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.

The Deputy Prime Minister said a draft memorandum on the restructuring of the committee had been completed and would be tabled to the Cabinet soon.“For Sabah, we recommend Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick while National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang will represent Sarawak.

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“As the committee chairman, I need another minister from Sarawak to sit in the committee and help answer questions in Parliament when I am not there,” he said after presenting Chinese New Year contributions and ang pow to senior citizens and persons with disabilities here yesterday, Bernama reported.Fadillah, who is also the Energy Transition and Public Utilities Minister and Petra Jaya MP, said the restructuring of the committee was done to replace Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Functions) previously held by Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.

Fadillah said the negotiation regarding the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) issue involved three stages, namely the Implementation Action Council chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Abang Openg and Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.“The second level is the technical committee, which I chair, while the third is the working committee, which is represented by government officials to discuss basic matters.

“If there are any issues that cannot be resolved at the basic level, then the matter will be taken to the technical committee for us to decide and then to the MA63 Implementation Action Council,” he added.