MA63: Cabinet to resolve differing jurisdictions in federal, Sabah, S'wak

The cabinet needs to finalise several differing interpretations about jurisdictions, including those regarding borders and land, in Sabah, Sarawak and at the federal level, said Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof.

He said the matter had been discussed in the technical committee meeting under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council that he chaired on May 28.

“(Different) interpretations relating to the jurisdiction of waters, including our continental shelves, meaning where our borders are… so Sarawak’s interpretation is that we have our own laws and state borders before Malaysia was founded.

“There are different legal views at the federal level and interpretation at the state level (Sabah and Sarawak), so this matter must be brought to the cabinet to determine its direction… there are some matters that we agree to disagree,” he said after officiating the Dragon Boat Festival celebrations in Kuching today.

The energy transition and water transformation minister also said that the conflicting stamp duty between the federal level and the two states was among the matters that have yet to be agreed upon in the meeting.

“Sarawak’s interpretation is that it is the state’s jurisdiction (but) it is mentioned in the Constitution that stamp duty is federal (jurisdiction). So that’s another instance of differing interpretations, so we have to resolve it,” he said.

Sarawak representatives at previous Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council meetings included all three Sarawak deputy premiers, Douglas Uggah Embas, Awang Tengah Ali Hasan and Dr Sim Kui Hian, while Sabah was represented by deputy chief minister I Jeffrey G Kitingan.

- Bernama

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