PRIME Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced the formation of a special council to resolve the remaining disputes and demands for the return of eroded rights by Sabah and Sarawak that were left unresolved when the previous Pakatan Harapan federal government collapsed.

In his Malaysia Day address in Sibu, Sarawak, Muhyiddin said the new council which he chairs, will have the chief ministers of Sabah and Sarawak, ministers and others based on their qualifications and expertise.

The council will seek to resolve the position of the two Borneo states as equal partners in the formation of Malaysia, the states’ rights under Article 112 of the federal constitution, under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and in the Inter-governmental Committee Report.

Muhyiddin said the council will also address security and education issues in the two Borneo states.

“I hope the establishment of this special council will be able to resolve all the issues that are still pending, particularly Sabah and Sarawak’s rights and position so that they are in accordance with the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and the provisions of the federal constitution,” Muhyiddin said.

He said there are no issues that are too “difficult to solve”.

“They can be resolved amicably if the federal and state governments are on the same wavelength.”

He pointed to the dispute Sarawak has with Petronas over rights to control the oil and gas resources found in the state, which he said had been resolved.

He expressed his appreciation to Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg for negotiating with the national petroleum company “to achieve a consensus” on the disputes, including on state sales tax on petroleum products.

Muhyiddin added that negotiations with Sabah on the same issue will start after the Sabah state elections.

The new council reportedly will replace the Special Cabinet Committee of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) of the previous Pakatan Harapan government.

Entrepreneurial Development and Cooperative Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, giving a sneak peek of the council last week, said it was the Perikatan Nasional government’s plan “to move forward on Sarawak and Sabah’s rights dispute”.

Other unresolved issues are the illegal alteration of Sarawak’s boundary by the two federal laws – the Territorial Sea Act, and the Continental Shelf Act – which some state lawmakers said gave Putrajaya the right to plunder Sarawak’s offshore oil and gas resources. – September 16, 2020.