A TOTAL of 27 matters will be raised in the cabinet ministers’ memorandum on Sabah and Sarawak’s demands, particularly concerning the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) that is scheduled to be presented to the cabinet on January 4. 

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Functions) Armizan Mohd Ali said the matters raised in the memorandum were the result of feedback from the Sabah and Sarawak state governments. 

“Out of the 27 matters, 22 are directly related to MA63 itself and the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) while the other five are additional recommendations,” he told reporters after visiting the Tanjung Aru Baru residents who were affected by the high tide phenomenon today. 

Armizan said one of the five additional recommendations had been announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim recently, namely to hand over the gas supply regulatory power in Sabah to the state government. 

“It (the regulatory authority) was previously under the state of Sabah but there were legal amendments in the 80s and the authority was transferred to the Federation and acting out of concern for the state government’s request, the Cabinet has approved it. Insya-Allah this January the authority will be transferred back to Sabah,” he said.  

Meanwhile, Armizan said coordination of all government agencies’ efforts in dealing with disasters, especially floods, was important. 

He also wanted all government agencies to forge better cooperation with other parties such as disaster relief organisations. – Bernama, December 24, 2022.