The Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) is not a social contract but a United Nations-recognised international document for the formation of Malaysia and should not be viewed lightly, said Sabah Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal.

He said the rights of Sabah and Sarawak was contained in the MA63 and, as such, should not be politicised either.

“The MA63 is the only legacy from our fathers of Independence, who wanted Malaysia’s prosperity to continue, and is the only official document that gives legitimacy to the existence of Sabah and, thus, the formation of Malaysia itself.

“The agreement is different from a social contract which is commonly announced nationwide. The MA63 is also related to the rights of the people of Sabah and not political material that can be gambled with to gain power,” he said in a statement today.

The statement was part of the essence of Shafie’s speech when debating the second reading of the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2019, aimed at restoring Sabah and Sarawak’s status as equal partners in the Federation of Malaysia, in the Dewan Rakyat today.

The Bill was tabled last week, and today, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir had restructured the amendment bill to restore the original words, which were omitted when the article was amended in 1976.

While supporting the restructured amendment, Mohd Shafie, who is also Semporna MP, said the amendment was a step in the restoring Sabah’s rights, which had yet to be fulfilled, like oil royalty and revenue.

As such, he hoped that no party would try to politicise the amendment bill for personal gain or power.

- Bernama