The honourable prime minister, Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim had given a free hand to DPM Dato Seri Fadillah Yusuf to implement all conditions and terms in the Malaysia Agreement 1963(MA63) within one month of the instructions given.

Now, this had lapsed, but, if the MA63 was illegally or not constituted in accordance with international law, it is the obligation of the Dato Seri Fadillah Yusuf to report back to the prime minister and say there is nothing that could be implementable in MA63 and Malaysia has to be dissolved or disintegrate.

If MA63 is valid and binding and terms and conditions therein are implementable, what Dato Seri Fadillah Yusuf has to do is just to implement it. One of the terms in MA63 is to implement the one-third seats each for Sarawak and Sabah in the federal parliament.

It is regretted that DPM Dato Seri Fadillah Yusuf said in the press that this may take two to three years to implement as the matter has to go through a few committees and parties – see The Edge February 02, 2023. There is nothing in the MA63 to say that to resolve and or to implement any terms and conditions in the MA63 has to go through a MA63 Steering Committee, MA63 Technical Committee and MA63 Implementation Action Committee. Actions and decisions of these committees, if any, could be unlawful or are against the spirit and intent of MA63.

To say that it would take two to three years to implement this one-third seat in parliament is not acceptable and it will only reflect on the inefficiency of Dato Seri Fadillah Yusuf in handling the matter. He may need to resign and tell the honorable prime minster to get a replacement.

It is not difficult to implement the one-third seats for Sabah and Sarawak. What Dato Seri Fadillah Yusuf has to do is just give instructions to relevant department and the Elections Commission to increase the seats for Sabah and Sarawak by redrawing the boundaries of all parliamentary seats in Sabah and Sarawak and to reduce the seats in Malaya.

Before exit from Malaysia there were discussions and negotiations on how to reconcile the political and economic differences between Singapore and Malaysia and it just took a few months only before Singapore exited from Malaysia. It took only a few days to draw the Separation Agreement and to have it signed between Malaya and Singapore. In such a complex separation matter, which is more complicated than MA63, Singapore and Malaya could part ways, then, there is no reason Dato Seri Fadillah Yusof could not resolve a simple matter where terms and conditions in MA63 are ready to be implemented with nothing to negotiate and re-negotiate any more.

In the expense of repetition, if AM63 is not valid, there is nothing to implement and Malaysia has to dissolve or disintegrate and it is for the Dato Seri Fadillah Yusuf to inform the prime minister accordingly. If MA63 was lawfully constituted in accordance with international law, just implement it.

Be reminded, for any loss and damage caused by any decisions and actions of parties concerned to Sabah and Sarawak in connection with MA63, it is the legal opinion of legal experts that Sabahans and Sarawakians have legal rights to seek compensation or damages against them in court of law.

VOON LEE SHAN
President Parti Bumi Kenyalang
1 Feb 2023