Sharifah Hasidah: Expedite negotiations on Sarawak Special Grant formula in spirit of partnership
KUCHING (May 21): The Sarawak government has called for negotiations on the Special Grant for Sarawak formula with Putrajaya to be expedited in the spirit of partnership, said Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali.
The Deputy Minister in the Premier of Sarawak's Department (Law, MA63 and State-Federal Relations) said this is necessary in recognition of Sarawak's constitutional rights under the Federal Constitution and the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
She said currently the state government has partially resolved matters in respect of the Financial Review under Article 112D of the Federal Constitution.
'In this regard, as an interim arrangement, the federal government has agreed to increase the amount of the Special Grant for Sarawak from RM300 million to RM600 million for a period of five years,' she said during the question-and-answer session at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Sitting here today.
She was responding to a question from Lidam Assan (GPS-Katibas), who had enquired on the status of MA63 negotiations for Sarawak.
Sharifah Hasidah said the state also placed top priority on the proposal to increase the number of parliamentary seats for Sabah and Sarawak in the House of Representatives to better reflect the spirit and intent of MA63.
'These issues have been brought up regularly by the Sarawak government through official meetings and negotiation platforms, including the MA63 Implementation Action Council and the technical committees established for this purpose.'
She said matters that still require further discussion and negotiation between the two governments included the proposal to amend Item 25A (Tourism) in List I (Federal) to List III (Concurrent), the Ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution; health matters, such as the proposed delegation of authority to the director of Health of Sarawak to carry out functions under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 (Act 586) and other issues concerning the development, improvement, and planning of healthcare facilities in Sarawak; and education matters such as staffing issues, the implementation of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects in English, and the use of English for technical and vocational education and training (TVET).
In addition, there is also the recognition of the Sarawak Rural Water Supply Department (JBALB) as a Technical Department under Treasury Instruction 182; establishment matter under Article 112 of the Federal Constitution; Borneonisation of the federal public service in Sarawak; and development of the Sabah-Sarawak-Kalimantan Border Area that has yet to be resolved, she added.
She also said that the Sarawak government is actively pursuing matters that have been agreed in principle namely the empowerment of environmental regulatory authority to the Sarawak government through the Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB); and amendment to the Federal Constitution regarding the power to appoint the Judicial Commissioner in Sarawak, for which the Sarawak government has submitted a draft proposal to amend Article 122AB of the Federal Constitution to the Judicial Appointments Commission.
Sharifah Hasidah told the august House that to date, nine key areas have been resolved under MA63 including the handing over of regulatory authority for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to the Sarawak government through Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (Petros); amendment to Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution, restoring Sarawak and Sabah's status as equal partners in the formation of Malaysia, in line with MA63; amendment to the interpretation of the term 'Federation' under Article 160(2) of the Federal Constitution, which now constitutionally includes MA63 and related instruments such as the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report as part of the Federal Constitution; and amendment to Article 161A to provide full authority to the Sarawak government to define the term 'Native' more comprehensively and inclusively.
Other matters that have been resolved include the empowerment for issuance of deep-sea fishing licences to Sarawak Marine Fisheries Department and the Ministry of Food Industry, Commodity, and Regional Development; recognition of the Sarawak Public Works Department and the Department of Irrigation and Drainage as Technical Departments under Treasury Instruction 182, allowing them to administer federal projects in Sarawak valued up to RM50 million; amendment to the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia Act 1995 [Act 533] to appoint permanent representatives from Sabah and Sarawak to the board; special guidelines to facilitate the return of land reserved for federal purposes in Sabah and Sarawak; and amendment to the Sarawak Labour Ordinance (Cap.76) which came into force on May 1.
In assuring that the Sarawak government remains committed in reclaiming and safeguarding the Sarawak's rights under MA63, Sharifah Hasidah said the state government remains actively engaged with the federal government through continuous dialogue and consultation.
'The Sarawak government ensures that these negotiations are carried out and addressed in a manner that is in line with the spirit of equal partnership and with full acknowledgment for Sarawak's constitutional position as enshrined in the Federal Constitution, MA63 and the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report,' she added.
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