KOTA KINABALU, June 29 — A steering committee has been formed to expedite the collection of data on the historical contents and legal aspects of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs), Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili.

Ongkili in a statement today said the steering committee, comprising members from the Sabah and Sarawak Affairs Division (BHESS), Sabah Law Society (SLS) and Institute for Development Studies (IDS) Sabah would be compiling all historical facts that led to the formation of Malaysia 58 years ago.

"The steering committee will develop a syllabus on MA63 and formation of Malaysia for schools, tertiary students, and public references.

"It will be coordinated by BHESS and the drawing up team led by SLS, with inputs from IDS and the Education Ministry, as well as members of academia, to develop the syllabus for the target groups,” he said.

Earlier, Ongkili was chairing an online meeting with senior lawyers from SLS led by its president, Roger Chin and IDS board members, headed by its chairman, Mohd Yaakub Johari.

Ongkili said they aimed to produce what would be legally and academically acceptable, hence helping  to eliminate wrong or inaccurate interpretation, and instead provide a true reflection of events and agreements.

"There have been a lot of interpretation on MA63 out there, and we hope this syllabus will set the record right. We want to prevent the public from being misled from the true reflection of the historical agreement,” he added. — Bernama