Kota Kinabalu: The Special Committee set up to review the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) will meet to discuss amending the Federal Constitution to recognise Sabah as a territory, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said."The Special Committee is expected to hold its first meeting in the near future to identify the scope of review and issues related to MA63."We have allocated only six months for the committee to study the matter," he told the state assembly sitting, Monday.
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He said this in reply to a question from Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan (Solidariti-Tambunan), who asked when Sabah would be recognised as a territory.Mohd Shafie also said that Sabah needed an efficient system for the implementation of powers that would be passed down to the state in accordance with MA63.
He said the State Government still needs time to look into all details on Sabah's rights under the MA63 before they can be fulfilled. He stressed, among others, there has to be a system in place before the powers are returned to the state.
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On top of that, issues such as overlapping roles and functions as well as conflict of powers between the state and federal governments must also be addressed. "It's not an easy issue. That's why we must have a proper system in place. What's the point of having power but we don't have a system and supporting structures to realise our plans and vision?
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"I've discussed the matter with the federal leadership and I realise it will take time because the priority of the federal and state governments is on the needs of the people," he said to a question. He said all details must be thoroughly studied before the powers can be returned to Sabah, particularly to ensure that decisions and actions by the Government would benefit the present and future generation of Sabahans. He said overlapping of powers would not help in achieving the true goal of the state and federal governments that want the people to fully benefit from every development project and programme. "For example, out of 130 schools that needed repairs, 30 which were implemented by the Federal Government were abandoned while those done by the state Public Works Department went smoothly," he said.He cited another example where the cost of building schools did not match the actual needs of the people. "Some schools had about 60 students but built at the cost of RM30 million. Others cost RM5 million but had 1,700 students. This means there's a mismatch," he said.Similarly, he said there were projects brought in by elected representatives without the knowledge of the District Offices. Shafie insisted that it is now time for change with all projects based on needs, not vendor or political interest driven. "We don't want YBs to be lobbying projects from KL. They must be based on the real needs of the people," he said.He noted that many of Sabah's rights and executive powers have been diluted over the past 50 years, but these cannot be unwound within a short period. But he reassured that he would pursue to get back Sabah's rights under the MA63.He said certain matters such as the diving activites in Sipadan should fall under the jurisdiction of the state, not federal."That's why we must study all matters in minute detail because MA63 is macro and doesn't spell them out. It's for this reason that in the budget I stressed on a five per cent tax for fish exported to the peninsula. It's about time we do this because this is our right and we need the money to develop our state," he added.
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In relation to tourism in Sipadan, Karanaan Assemblyman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun suggested that the state government should just ignore the special tax imposed by the federal government on revenue from the world famous diving spot."We can actually ignore this because the federal government has no right to impose tax on our land. Land is a state matter," he said. - Leonard Alaza
