MIRI: Sarawak has always been rational in pursuing its rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), with its demands grounded in the Federal Constitution and the state’s capacity, said Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
He said Sarawak has never made excessive demands, but instead sought a fair arrangement based on the state’s ability to contribute and the country’s fiscal position.
“Sarawak is very flexible. Sarawak is very rational. We do not make unreasonable demands. We make our demands based on Sarawak’s capacity,” he said during the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Northern Zone Special Convention 2026 at Miri Indoor Stadium here Sunday.
He said the matter was among the outcomes of discussions on MA63 held in Kota Kinabalu two days earlier between himself, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
On parliamentary representation, Abang Johari said the Prime Minister had agreed that Sabah and Sarawak should have one-third representation in the Dewan Rakyat, based on a ratio aligned with MA63 and the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report.
He said the arrangement was intended to safeguard the interests of Sabah and Sarawak and ensure their representation remained proportional.
“Alhamdulillah, our struggle has achieved its objective. If there is an increase in the number of representatives in Peninsular Malaysia, there will also be an increase in Sabah and Sarawak, and the ratio must be maintained,” he said.
He also said Sarawak had proposed that the special grant under Article 112D of the Federal Constitution be determined according to a formula linked to the country’s revenue.
Under the proposed formula, he said Sarawak could receive either 10 per cent of the relevant revenue or five per cent, depending on the country’s fiscal position.
“If there is more, share more. If it is lower, share less. Sarawak is very flexible and very rational,” he said.
Abang Johari said the matter had also been discussed between the Sarawak Ministry of Finance and New Economy and the Federal Ministry of Finance.
He recalled that during the discussions, the federal side initially claimed that Sarawak’s revenue was lower than the grants provided by the federal government.
However, he said statistics from 2022, 2023 and 2024 showed that Sarawak’s state revenue was actually higher than the amount received from the federal government.
“After looking at the statistics, they acknowledged that Sarawak’s revenue was higher than what was given by the federal government,” he said.
On tourism, Abang Johari said Sarawak had also rejected a proposal to place the sector under the Federal List.
He said tourism is a residual matter when Malaysia was formed as it was not specifically provided for at the time, resulting in it being placed under the Concurrent List involving the Federal Government, Sabah and Sarawak.
“Eventually, they agreed with what I said,” he added.
Abang Johari stressed that the spirit of MA63 and the Federal Constitution remained the foundation of PBB and GPS’ struggle to safeguard Sarawak’s rights.
“That is why when we are strong, our voice is also strong. If we are divided, we cannot carry one voice,” he said.
