THE Special Council on Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MKMA63) has agreed to the proposed Federal Constitution amendments that will reinstate the status of Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners in the federation, said Maximus Johnity Ongkili.

The minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak affairs) said the decision comes after a three-hour deliberation yesterday.

The proposed amendments involve Articles 1(2) and 160(2) and were tabled by Law Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, who heads the council’s Equal Status Working Committee.

Article 1(2) refers to the status of Sabah and Sarawak, whose position as equal partners were revoked in an amendment to relegate the two Borneo states on a par with other states in the peninsula in 1976.

Article 160(2) seeks to redefine the meaning of the federation.

The cabinet council meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Ongkili said the council has agreed to table the amendments at the next sitting of Parliament, adding that the changes are different than the ones proposed by the Pakatan Harapan government in 2019.

PH had failed to win the mandatory two-third support of 222 MPs in Parliament when its proposed bill was tabled in April 2019, with Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) lawmakers abstaining from voting.

The abstention left PH short of the 10 votes needed to get the bill across the line.

GPS lawmakers had objected to how the proposed amendments were worded, with no references made to MA63 and the ruling coalition’s refusal to amend Article 160(2).

“MKMA63 will continue to discuss outstanding matters and ensure the rights of Sabahans and Sarawakians are restored,” said Ongkili, adding that the meeting also agreed to empower the Sabah and Sarawak governments to issue licences for deep-sea fishing.

Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Ronald Kiandee had tabled a paper to seek approval from the council to empower the Fisheries Departments of the Borneo states to issue licences for vessels and fishing equipment for Zone C fishing boats.

The licence issuance is currently handled by the federal Marine Fisheries Department. – October 19, 2021.