PUTRAJAYA: Sarawak’s Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas has called for all outstanding Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) issues to be resolved by the end of this year.
He said expediting the remaining matters was important after nearly a decade of negotiations on MA63.
“Efforts to expedite the resolution of issues that have yet to be finalised are important to ensure the full implementation of MA63 for the benefit of the people of Sabah and Sarawak,” he was quoted as saying in a report by the Sarawak Public Communication Unit (Ukas).
Uggah said this during the Technical Committee Meeting under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63) for 2026 held here on Monday (Aug 3).
The meeting was chaired by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud, who is also deputy chairman of the MTPMA63 Technical Committee.
Sarawak’s delegation was co-led by Deputy Premiers Uggah, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan and Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian.
The meeting was also attended by Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Law, MA63 and State-Federal Relations) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali, the State Attorney-General, the State Financial Secretary, the Deputy State Secretary (Economic Planning and Development), heads of departments and senior state government officials.
Ukas said the Sabah and Sarawak Affairs Division (BHESS) of the Prime Minister’s Department presented the latest status of MA63 implementation during the meeting.
The update showed that 13 issues have been fully resolved, while five have been settled on an interim basis.
Another two issues remain unresolved despite policy decisions having been reached, four are still under discussion, and five have been referred for consideration at the highest level.
Among the key issues discussed were additional state public service posts for Sabah and Sarawak under Article 112 of the Federal Constitution, the Borneonisation of the federal public service, healthcare, education, environmental powers, and the development of the Sabah-Sarawak-Kalimantan border areas.
Meanwhile, Mustapha directed all federal ministries and agencies to provide their full cooperation in expediting the resolution of the remaining MA63 issues.
