KUALA LUMPUR – The Madani government has successfully resolved nine claims related to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) to date, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
Fadillah, who is also the Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, said among the matters resolved was the recognition of the Public Works Department (JKR) and the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) in Sabah and Sarawak as Technical Departments under Treasury Instruction 182 (AP182).
He said the government had also amended the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) Act 1995 to appoint representatives from the Sabah and Sarawak state governments as permanent IRB members.
“Other matters resolved were the handover of power to regulate gas supply in Sabah; the administration of the judiciary in Sabah and Sarawak as well as the preparation of special guidelines for the resumption of land reserved for federal purposes in Sabah and Sarawak,” he said in a statement today.
Earlier, Fadillah chaired the first Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council Technical Meeting (JKTMTPM63) for 2025 at the Prime Minister’s Department in Putrajaya.
He said the government had also completed the transfer of electricity regulatory powers to the Sabah state government and proposed an amendment to Article 95B of the Federal Constitution regarding the division of legislative powers for Sabah and Sarawak.
Additionally, he said the government had successfully converted the status of Bintulu Port from a federal to a state port, alongside addressing matters related to the labour force in both states.
“In addition, the special interim grant to Sabah and Sarawak has been doubled to RM600 million each starting this year,” he said.
Fadillah said today’s meeting was crucial in planning follow-up actions on unresolved MA63 matters, in line with decisions made during the first 2024 Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on 12 September.
He said the meeting also discussed six presentation papers from various ministries and departments, including updates on financial matters under the Ministry of Finance and a report on the Sabah and Sarawak state civil service.
Also on the agenda were a proposed amendment to item 25A (Tourism) in List I (Federal) of the Ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution, which would transfer it to List III (Joint), and discussions on the development of the Sabah-Sarawak-Kalimantan border area.
Other matters included reports from the Sabah and Sarawak Health Development Joint Action Committee and the Sabah and Sarawak Education Development Joint Action Committee.
“All decisions agreed upon today will be brought to the next meeting for consideration and agreement,” he said.
Meanwhile, unresolved MA63 claims will continue to be discussed and monitored by the Technical Committee under MTPMA63, he added. – March 13, 2025