Fed govt urged to set up tripartite committee with Sabah, S’wak

KOTA KINABALU: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) Tanjung Aru chief Datuk Edward Yong Oui Fah has urged the federal government to set up a tripartite committee with the Sabah and Sarawak governments to discuss issues pertaining to policy making.

Yong said that this was because when the federal government made policies without consulting its counterparts in Sabah and Sarawak, it made the people in these two states unhappy.

“Take for instance the Tourism Tax, there was no consultation with Sabah and Sarawak and this reflects that the federal government does not take into consideration the feelings of the people in the two states,” he opined.

“The federal government must not forget that Sabah and Sarawak did not join Malaysia but are equal partners with Malaya as they formed the federation together. That is why the federal government has the responsibility to discuss policies like the Tourism Tax with us,” he said.

Yong who is also Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister, made the suggestion in his speech at the PBS Tanjung Aru’s annual general meeting which was officiated by party president Tan Sri Pairin Kitingan here yesterday.

The Federal government, he said, must set up a tripartite committee to discuss matters that will affect Sabah and Sarawak as well as matters that are enshrined in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

All this, he pointed out, was what Pairin as party president of PBS had been championing all this while.

“We must therefore continue to support Tan Sri Pairin in defending the rights of Sabah and Sabahans in MA63,” he said.

Yong also said that PBS Tanjung Aru’s machinery is ready for the 14th general election which is about one year away.

“I wish to thank all BN supporters for defending N17 Tanjung Aru all this while and it is my hope that all will continue to work together to ensure that the seat remains with BN in the 14th general election,” he said.

Yong also said that PBS Tanjung Aru machinery will work hard not only for N17 but also to win back the Api Api state and Kota Kinabalu parliamentary seats.