BN manifesto for GE14 should include MA63 – Anifah
KOTA KINABALU: Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman has expressed his hope that the Barisan Nasional (BN) government will try its best to include the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) in its manifesto for the upcoming 14th general election.
In this regard, Anifah also hoped that the manifesto would also include the state’s 40 per cent revenue rights, which was stated in MA63.
“We are focusing on the MA63, but we are focusing on the 40 per cent revenue rights. That is where our money will come from,” Anifah said at a meeting with local bloggers at Le Meridien Hotel yesterday.
He asserted that there is no point having the power if you cannot have the money, which would be vital for the state’s development.
“We have to go through a process. This is a matter of great importance and we are not going to rush this just because we want to satisfy the political aspirations of the people.
“We want a settlement that can be guaranteed for the future generations, one that can no longer be subjected to questions,” Anifah said.
He reiterated that the entire process was complex and timeconsuming.
Meanwhile, Tengku Fuad Ahmad, the legal advisor of MySabah, a body that studies the MA63 had asserted that there was a major difference between the revenue rights of Sabah and the revenue rights of Sarawak, under the Federal Constitution.
“Sabah has a fixed amount of two-fifths of the revenues derived from the state, subject to the needs of the state and subject also to the financial position of the federation,” Fuad said.
“To put it simply, Sabah is entitled to 40 per cent, provided that there is enough money and provided that we can show that we need it,” he added.
Sarawak on the other hand had no fixed number, he asserted.
“When you have a fixed amount written in the constitution, your rights are much stronger. Your ability to negotiate will be strong,” he said, adding that the matter was not a political question but an administrative question instead.
Commenting on a separate issue, Anifah reiterated that that Malaysia would not entertain any claim by the Sulu Sultanate on Sabah.
“The Malaysian government will not recognize any claim made by the Sulu Sultanate on Sabah,” he said.
Anifah stressed that there was no reason for Malaysia to entertain the said claim, as the neighbouring country had no case to answer.