KUCHING: Negotiations between the Federal and state governments regarding the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) can be resolved amicably without the need to bring the matter to court for legal interpretation, says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
He said Sarawak has also guaranteed that it would not involve the courts in finalising the legal interpretation of MA63.
"As far as Sarawak is concerned, we will not bring this matter to court because we have two options. If it cannot be resolved at the highest leadership level, the final option is to take the matter to court for (legal) interpretation, not for dispute resolution.
"We are trying to avoid this (going to court). We are trying to reach an agreement at the federal and state levels and agree to find a solution through negotiations without needing to refer to the courts," he said during the Executive Dialogue in conjunction with the ‘Jiwa Komuniti MADANI dan Media’ programme here on Sunday (April 13).
Fadillah, who also chairs the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) Implementation Action Council, (MTPMA63) expressed confidence that with strong cooperation between the Federal Government and state administrations, the legal interpretation of the agreement can be finalised as outlined in the Federal Constitution.
He said there are currently five critical MA63-related claims that have yet to be resolved at the highest levels of the Federal Government as well as the Sabah and Sarawak governments.
"These include the 35% parliamentary seat quota for Sabah and Sarawak, (oil) royalty and the formula for increasing development allocations for the two states as provided under Article 112D of the Federal Constitution," he said.
The ‘Jiwa Komuniti Madani dan Media’ programme, held at the Haji Kamaruddin bin Ahmad hall in Kampung Segedup, is aimed at boosting self-motivation and encourage active participation among community members and media partners in strengthening communication networks.
The programme also saw the involvement of community members from the Petra Jaya parliamentary constituency, including the state constituencies of Tupong, Samariang and Satok.
Also present were Sarawak Information Department director Helmy Hamid, Deputy Minister for Utility and Telecommunication (Sarawak Energy Berhad and Petroleum Sarawak Bhd) Datuk Ibrahim Baki, and Tupong assemblyman Datuk Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman. - Bernama
