Abang Johari proposes formal committee to study what was agreed before formation of Malaysia
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| Adenan (front row, fifth left) poses for a wefie with Sarawak leaders prior to the townhall session at PWTC. — Photo by Muhammad Rais Sanusi |
KUALA LUMPUR: A formal committee, comprising representatives from the federal and state governments, has been proposed to revisit the 18-Point Agreement for Sarawak during the formation of Malaysia.
Housing Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg said the proposed committee would study what had been agreed under the Malaysian Agreement signed in July 1963.
“Sarawak’s rights are enshrined and embedded in the Malaysian Constitution and Sarawak Constitution. So we must be united while Malaysia must be strong, and Sarawak must be strong.
“For that, the bonds between Malaysia and Sarawak must be strong,” he said at the Lan Berambeh Anak Sarawak 2015 Forum attended by thousands of Sarawakians at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) yesterday.
Abang Johari pointed out that the 18-Point Agreement was based on the Nine Cardinal Principles of the Rule of the Rajah — that Sarawak was an independent state ruled by locals.
“This was agreed upon among North Borneo, Sarawak, Singapore and the Federation of Malaya before the Malaysian Agreement was signed on July 9, 1963 in London,” he said.
Abang Johari said Sarawak wants a return of autonomy in certain areas, citing Article 95 of the Malaysian Constitution, as well as autonomy in taxation.
