See Chee How
KUCHING (Aug 12): Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How has urged the state government to put forward its strongest protest to the Perikatan Nasional (PN) federal government following its decision to shelve the formation of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
At the same time, See said the PN federal government of which the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition is a part of, must disclose its deadline to complete the devolution of the special and autonomous rights promised under the MA63 to Sarawak.
“The decision of the federal government has cut the ground from underneath the GPS government’s feet,” he said in a press statement today.
According to See, the pronouncement by Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Dato Hanifah Hajar Taib in Parliament that the federal government had decided that there is no need for the PSC on MA63 to be established is a “sham and betrayal of all Sarawakians and Sabahans to return and restore the full rights and autonomy of Sarawak and Sabah”.
“If the state government maintains its silence, it would reflect badly on the GPS government who has reneged its earlier position to advocate and support the formation of the MA63 Parliamentary Select Committee,” he said
See explained that the PSC was proposed to be established by the then-Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Parliamentary Affairs) Datuk Liew Vui Keong in April 2019, to facilitate the implementation of the MA63.
Through the PSC, he said the former Pakatan Harapan government had agreed to engage and involve all MPs to ensure the successful implementation of MA63, adding that it was announced that the chairman of the PSC would be a permanent member of the Cabinet Steering Committee that was then chaired by the former Prime Minister.
“A Parliamentary Select Committee, being a body constituted in Parliament, will be able to garner and harness the support of MPs for amendments of the Federal Constitution to safeguard Sarawak’s special rights under the MA63 and autonomy,” See said.
He recalled that the Chief Minister of Sarawak, other state cabinet members and the present Senior Federal Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof had earlier, before joining the Perikatan Nasional rank to form the present federal government, strongly advocated and commended for the setting up of the PSC on MA63.
“The formerly high powered MA63 Cabinet Steering Committee which set the direction, scope and pace towards the restoration of special rights and autonomy of Sabah and Sarawak in accordance with MA63 had progressed well, agreeing to 17 out of the 23 subject matters put forth by members of the Steering Committee.
“The MA63 Cabinet Steering Committee will then be tasked with the monitoring of the proper implementation of their proposals, devolving the legislative, executive as well as fiscal powers to Sarawak and Sabah.
“However, the Perikatan Nasional federal government has since disbanded the MA63 Cabinet Steering Committee, and now claimed that the PSC on MA63 is unnecessary.”
See said the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) had for the first time, revealed the federal government’s plan on the formation of a Special Council to Review Implementation on MA63 to oversee the implementation of MA63, but the Special Council is not even constituted yet.
“It is clear that the Perikatan federal government is merely dragging their feet on the matter,” he added.
See noted that the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili who is from Sabah had on March 13 said that his main tasks was to solve issues on MA63 within six months.
“Now five months has lapsed, and his deputy, who is a GPS MP, had announced that it is the plan of the federal government to form a Special Council to Review Implementation on MA63, and that the Special Council will require the responsible agency requires one to two years to implement the 17 out of the 21 subject matters that had been agreed by the previous government to be devolved to Sarawak and Sabah.
“With the Special Council yet to be formed, such an ambiguous answer in Parliament is absolutely unacceptable. It shows that this is a delay tactic by this federal government.
“The GPS government is as guilty in its association with this federal government which has shown no sincerity nor determination to return and restore the full rights and autonomy of Sarawak.”