THE people of Sabah and Sarawak are receptive towards the commitment and efforts of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in resolving issues connected to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Dr Jeffery Kitingan said.

He said the MA63 issues needed to be resolved because the history of Malaysia’s formation in 1957 was deemed to have overlooked the aspirations of Sabah and Sarawak and affected development in the two states.

“When asked about the MA63 special committee, the prime minister wondered why the need for the committee when MA63 should just be implemented. This is the prime minister we have been looking for. Has the real Malaysia has arrived? The rise of our country.

“In fact, now we are proud to have a leader from Borneo, Sarawak who has become deputy prime minister. Malaysia is a home for everyone, the majority group supporting the minority and vice versa,” he said at the Bicara Rakyat session entitled “Membina Negara Bangsa” (Building Our Nation) at the National Unity Government Convention 2023 at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur today.

Meanwhile, MCA president Wee Ka Siong said MCA would always play the role of an agent of goodwill and unity in efforts to bring harmony among the people for the sake of the country’s stability.

“We want to strengthen ties among all races in Malaysia. We want to help resolve issues and not complicate matters. It is very important to build and preserve political stability, the people’s interests should come first,” he said at the same session. 

Gabungan Parti Sarawak secretary-general Alexander Nanta Linggi said the formation of the unity government marked a new era which, gave space and opportunity for Malaysians to live in a prosperous country.

The works minister said the government, which is based on the Malaysia Madani concept, could be regarded as having pressed the reset button to rectify the mistakes committed when the country faced political turmoil previously.

“Why do we need to press the reset button? This is because there has been too much wrong done through the years, and therefore, we must go back to the basic principles to be able to move forward meaningfully,” he said. – Bernama, May 14, 2023.