DEWAN Rakyat speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia has hit out at Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg for belittling his views on the controversial Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

Pandikar said he is open to a debate with Abang Johari over the issue, adding that it does not make any difference to him if the chief minister disagrees with him.

“If Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg disagrees with my views, then I disagree with his views 100%,” Pandikar said today.

“Well, if he disagrees with me 10 times, I will disagree with him 100 times.

“I have been listening to the views of Selangor (Mohamed Azmin Ali) and Penang (Lim Guan Eng) chief ministers. I’m used to listening to all the chief ministers (views). 

“So, it doesn’t make any difference to me what is the opinion of the chief minister of Sarawak,” he said at a press conference at the Parliament lobby.

The Malaysian Insight reported that Abang Johari had dismissed Pandikar’s views on MA63 as “not important”.

This came about after DAP questioned the chief minister on the state government’s decision to talk to Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to resolve outstanding issues related to MA63.

Zahid was quoted as saying “unlike numerous studies conducted by previous analysts on the rights of Sabah and Sarawak which had elements of bias and prejudice, Berpisah Tiada (No Break-up), served to correct the negative perceptions”.

DAP said Pandikar in the book dismissed claims that Sabah, Sarawak and the 11 states in the peninsula were meant to be equal territories when the federation was formed.

He also stated the rights of the states were never eroded, even with the constitutional amendments in 1976 to downgrade Sabah and Sarawak to the 12th and 13th states – views that go against what most Sabahans and Sarawakians think.

Pandikar denied saying that MA63 is not important. – November 30, 2017