TUARAN, Jan 20 — The structure of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council Technical Committee (JKMTPMA63) will be reorganised to discuss matters arising from the agreement, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
The reorganisation is needed after Papar MP Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali, previously in charge of Sabah and Sarawak affairs, was appointed as Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister during the Cabinet reshuffle in December last year.
“We have to reorganise the structure and then call the meeting to put up a new paper,” he told the press today.
Fadillah was responding to queries about the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63) and whether it had discussed the mechanism for repaying 40 per cent of the Federal revenue to Sabah.
He said JKMTPMA63’s restructuring would bring Armizan back to the committee, among other things.
Fadillah added that he also visited Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor yesterday and discussed matters related to the MA63.
“We have sat down to get directions from him (Hajiji). And what I am going to do, as far as MA63 is concerned, is get both Armizan and Datuk Ewon Benedick (Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister) to sit on the committee.
“From there on, we will start our discussion,” said the Deputy Prime Minister, who is also responsible for Sabah and Sarawak affairs.
In December last year, Ewon, who is also an MTPMA63 and JKMTPMA63 member, was set to propose a mechanism framework for the repayment of 40 per cent of the Federal revenue to Sabah and would submit the proposal to the Federal and Sabah governments.
The Penampang MP said the proposed mechanism framework took into account technical issues related to the availability of data related to the collection of Federal revenue in Sabah since 1974, aiming for a more practical and forward-moving approach.
— Bernama
