SARAWAK has managed to have five of its state rights returned during its talks with Putrajaya, the Sarawak state assembly was told today.

They were a revision of the special grants given to Sarawak and delegating powers accorded to the state to enact subsidiary legislation under its Labour Ordinance.

The remaining three demands that had been met are on the state’s right distribute gas in the state, for its environmental authorities to be able to regulate matters and for the federal government to surrender land it had leased back to the state when they are no longer required.

These are part of 13 demands submitted to Putrajaya as part of the ongoing negotiations to review the implementation of the Malaysian Agreement 1963 (MA63).

Assistant minister in the Chief Minister’s Department, Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali said this in reply to questions by Juanda Jaya (Jemoreng-GPS) at the assembly.

Hasidah, who has the purview on law and state-federal relations, said negotiations are still ongoing on four demands while another four are still being sorted out by the joint committees set up to work through the issues.

On the special grant, one of the terms of the MA63 and written into the federal constitution under Article 112D, Hasidah said Sawarak is now in discussion with Putrajaya on the formula, as well as procedures on its payment.

To monitor the implementation on what have been agreed and those that had been agreed by the previous Pakatan Harapan administration, Hasidah said a special cabinet council had been formed at the federal level.

Hasidah also assured the assembly that the four non-negotiable state rights – its autonomous power on immigration, the right to enforce state ordinances in accordance with the federal constitution, protection of state’s borders and sovereignty on the continental shelf and what is underground, and resources within the state’s border – were never brought up for discussion.

“These are our state rights. Therefore, it is very important to inform them of these matters clearly so that there will be no more erosion of powers and rights.” – November 11, 2020.