PBDSB not satisfied with outcome of special cabinet committee meeting on MA63 recently

KUCHING: Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru ( PBDSB) is not satisfied with the outcome of the inaugural special cabinet committee meeting on Malaysia Agreement 1963 ( MA63), which was revealed on Thursday by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.

Its president Cobbold John Lusoi said the Sarawak government must demand that Sarawak’s status be restored to its original standing, reasoning that Sarawak’s rights enshrined in the MA63 could not be negotiated.

“Why is our chief minister saying that there are only four non-negotiable issues? Isn’t the whole of MA63 supposed to be non-negotiable?” he asked in response to news reports carrying Abang Johari’s statements.

Among others, Abang Johari said the Sarawak government had laid down four nonnegotiable and five negotiable items at the meeting.

The non-negotiable items are (a) immigration autonomous power, ( b) rights to enforce state law in accordance with the Federal Constitution, (c) state border protection, and (d) sovereignty over the sea, underground and its resources within the state.

The five issues that the Sarawak government wants to discuss are: (1) the need to review special allocation to Sarawak and Sabah under Item 112D of the Federal Constitution, ( 2) rights for additional financial resources under the Tenth Scheduled List of the Federal Constitution, ( 3) residual power under Item 77 of the Federal Constitution, (4) returning of land that is no longer needed by the federal government placed under the Federal Land Commission to Sarawak, and ( 5) the implementation of federal power in education, medical and health which are unsatisfactory.

Cobbold questioned the need to discuss those five issues when the government has firmly stated that all rights belonging to Sarawak under MA63 are not negotiable.

He also cautioned against taking the ‘ no reply’ from the federal government as silent consent by the latter to accept the non-negotiable rights presented by the Sarawak government.

“Obviously, they are silent because they ( Putrajaya) are worried and concerned that they can’t hold on to the exclusive rights which rightfully belong to Sarawak if they (were to) agree,” he said.

He also questioned if the Sarawak government would consider taking legal action or even take the drastic move by seceding from Malaysia, if an agreement could not be reached and the federal government did not honour its words.

It was reported yesterday that Sarawak is adamant on its stand that its immigration autonomous rights and three other items are non-negotiable when it comes to the negotiation table.

Abang Johari was quoted as saying Sarawak’s right to enforce state ordinances in accordance with the Federal Constitution, protection of the state’s borders and sovereignty on the sea, underground and resources with the state are all non-negotiable.

These non-negotiable rights were brought up during the Dec 17 meeting called by the Federal Government Special Cabinet Committee on MA63, which was chaired by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.