PUTRAJAYA has decided on two special committees to revisit the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), following a cabinet meeting today.

Sources told The Malaysian Insight that the steering committee will be chaired by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, with the chief ministers of Sabah and Sarawak, the attorneys-general of both states and federal Attorney-General Tommy Thomas among the members.

Sources said members of the committee are Sabah Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal, Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg, de facto Law Minister Liew Vui Keong, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali, Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo, Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, Works Minister Baru Bian, International Trade and Industry Minister Darell Leiking, Transport Minister Anthony Loke, Chief Secretary to the Government Ismail Bakar, Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak David Wong Dak Wah, Universiti Malaya law professor Shad Saleem Faruqi, Sabah attorney-general Zaleha Rose Pandin, Sarawak attorney-general Talat Mahmood Abdul Rashid and Thomas.

The technical committee will be co-chaired by Liew and Thomas.

The committee comprises Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohamed Hanipa Maidin, Deputy Home Minister Azis Jamman, Deputy Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Chong Chieng Jen, Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin, Public Service Department Director-General Borhan Dolah, Treasury Chief Secretary Ahmad Badri Mohd Zahir, Sabah Chief Secretary Hashim Pajian, Sarawak Chief Secretary Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani, Home Ministry Secretary Alwi Ibrahim, Universiti Teknologi MARA law faculty dean Rahmat Mohamad, Zaleha Rose and Talat Mahmood.

There are eight Sabahans in the two committees, namely Shafie, Darell, Wong, Zaleha Rose, Azis, Chan, Hashim and Borhan, and five Sarawakians, namely Abang Johari, Baru, Chong, Talat Mahmood and Morshidi.

Sarawak has disputed Pakatan Harapan’s proposed special cabinet committee to revisit MA63.

Abang Johari said he is of the view that the committee should be modelled after the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC), formed in 1961 to look into the formation of Malaysia.

“It should not be a cabinet committee,” he told reporters today.

IGC, which was disbanded in 1963, comprised representatives of the governments of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Brunei, Federation of Malaya, North Borneo (renamed Sabah), Sarawak and Singapore. – October 10, 2018.