Can’t wait to try it: Fadillah (left) cutting a piece of smoked lamb at the event in Kampung Segedup, Sarawak. — Bernama
KUCHING: Negotiations between the federal and state governments on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) can be resolved amicably without going to court for legal interpretation, says Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
The Deputy Prime Minister 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 referring to the courts.”
Fadillah said this during the executive dialogue in conjunction with the “Jiwa Komuniti Madani dan Media” programme here yesterday, Bernama reported.
The Deputy Prime Minister, who also chairs the MA63 Implementation Action Council, is confident that with strong cooperation between the Madani 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 encouraging active participation among the Madani Community members and media partners in strengthening communication networks.
