KUCHING, Dec 6 — Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof has been tasked with expediting all matters related to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) to continue restoring the rights of Sabah and Sarawak.
In announcing this yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said some MA63-related matters remained in the negotiation stage and he wants Fadillah to look into them and expedite their implementation.
“Deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof is now tasked to deal with all matters related to MA63, so that negotiations between (the) federal (government), Sabah and Sarawak will be expedited,” he told a news conference after chairing his first Cabinet meeting since being appointed Malaysia’s 10th prime minister in Putrajaya yesterday.
Anwar also noted that Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg had talked about existing regulations getting in the way of seeing businesses, such as official approval for the implementation of projects, done.
He said he wants this to be streamlined, as he would not want to see any delay in the approval of development projects.
“Premier (of Sarawak) has said that the existing regulations are deterring development as there are too many departments to go through (for approval). This process can be streamlined,” he said.
Anwar added his unity government will also look into bridging the development gap between rural and urban areas in Sabah and Sarawak.
“This is aimed at addressing poverty issues in rural and regional areas in Sabah and Sarawak, and similar efforts will also be done for Peninsula Malaysia,” he said.
However, for Sabah and Sarawak, Anwar said Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi is expected to work closely with Fadillah to help bridge the gap in development and eradicate poverty. — Borneo Post Online
