A GROUP of legal experts, researchers and officials from Putrajaya and Sabah will be in London to search for and study any references related to the state’s rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Led by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili, the team is scheduled to leave for the week-long trip on June 19.
“Preliminary research showed over 300 documents referring to our rights and matters related to the MA63 are at the National Archives in London.
“There have been so many misconceptions and it is time to set the records right. MA63 is not just an agreement. Therefore, we need all the facts and figures to enable us to make claims that are rightfully ours,” Ongkili said, in a statement today.
He also stressed that it was vital for the team to do their homework, so the rights of Sabah and Sabahans are protected.
A similar effort was carried out by the Sarawak government six years back.
“We are excited as finally, we can get hold and access these confidential documents, which have now been declassified at the National Archives.
“We hope to get better insights (into) what transpired prior to our independence in 1963,” he said.
Among the team members heading to The National Archives in the United Kingdom are:
- Sabah Attorney-General Datuk Nor Asiah Mohd Yusof
- Sabah’s envoy to Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines-East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia
- Officials from the ministry
- Officials from the Sabah and Sarawak Affairs Division
- Representatives from the Sabah Chief Minister’s Department
Ongkili said more representatives from the Sabah government might still join the mission, adding that the list is still being finalised. – June 14, 2022
