KUCHING, Feb 3 — Two new members of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council Technical Committee (JKTMTPMA63) will be finalised this month, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
A draft memorandum on the restructuring of the committee had been completed and will be tabled in Cabinet soon.
“For Sabah, we recommend the Entrepreneurship and Cooperative Development Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick, while for the Sarawak representative it is National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang.
“Although I, as the committee chairman, am from Sarawak, I need another minister from Sarawak to sit in the committee and to help answer questions in Parliament when I am not there,” he said.
Fadillah was speaking to the press after presenting Chinese New Year contributions and Ang Pau to senior citizens and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in the Matang area at the Sungai Tengah SUPP Hall today.
The Energy Transition and Public Utilities Minister and Petra Jaya MP said restructuring of the committee was done to replace the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Functions) previously held by Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.
He said the negotiation regarding the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) issue involved three stages, namely the Implementation Action Council chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the Premier of Sarawak Tan Sri Abang Johari Abang Openg, and Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
“The second level is the technical committee, which I chair, while the third is the working committee which is represented by government officials to discuss basic matters.
“If there are any issues that cannot be resolved at the basic level, then the matter will be taken to the technical committee for us to decide and then to the MA63 Implementation Action Council,” Fadillah said.
— Bernama
