Latest news with #MalaysiaAgreement1963
Focus Malaysia
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Focus Malaysia
Strong point of Sabah opposition: Puff, posturing and political pantomime
IN the noisy arena of Sabah politics, the opposition has perfected one act: endless barking. The ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) can announce new roads, clean water or investment wins but even before the microphones are switched off, the usual suspects are already foaming at the mouth. Take the recent IBR ASEAN Awards. Sabah was named Malaysia's Most Outstanding State Government. Not some consolation prize but a prestigious recognition of leadership, governance, and delivery. A moment to be proud of. But opposition figures prefer to turn a blind eye to such a startling achievement. Ignoring real achievements That's because delivery isn't their strong suit. Drama is. Recently, the state government tabled its Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) 1.0 report card in the state assembly. It showed 94% of planned initiatives already completed – 366 out of 467. These include rural water supply upgrades, tourism development, dialysis access, agricultural incentives and conservation efforts. But opposition leader Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal interrupted half-way through the reply, asking for it in writing. Was the list too long for Shafie's attention span? No ideas, just noise This reflects the opposition's entire playbook: don't read, don't build, don't propose – just protest. They oppose supplementary budgets. They cry about the cost of living but never suggest how they'd grow revenue. They keep badgering the Sabah state government to demand more under MA63 (the Malaysia Agreement 1963) such as more oil royalties for the state yet offer no clear ideas on how to turn those demands into reality. Ask them for a manifesto and one would probably be better off explaining Squid Game (South Korean dystopian survival thriller drama television series) to a household cockroach. Ask them for a structured plan to improve livelihoods, and they'd rattle off something that looks like it was stitched together by an unpaid intern who thought policy had something to do with cops. These are not leaders. They are full-time hecklers with part-time interest in policy. Proof in numbers GRS, in contrast, has kept revenue climbing, from RM3.6 bil in 2020 to RM6.84 bil in 2024. Sabah's trade volume breached RM100 bil with investments continuing to flow. These aren't just numbers, they are outcomes. But the opposition doesn't see outcomes. Only optics. When they cannot achieve something, they try to discredit it. It's the only game they know. They claim to represent 'the people'. Yet all they represent is the politics of noise. Where is their blueprint? Their energy goes into slander, scandal and headline-chasing. This is not checks and balances. This is just grandstanding for political mileage. If Sabah is to move forward, voters will need to decide: more chaos from career critics or continued work from those who actually show up. The opposition can bark. But voters must not mistake noise for results. – July 16, 2025 Main image credit: UMNO
The Star
a day ago
- Politics
- The Star
Sabah at a crossroads over next state polls
KOTA KINABALU: Political watchers are weighing in on the possibility of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor dissolving the state assembly within days after his Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat)'s three-day congress beginning July 25. With only four months until the automatic dissolution on Nov 11, some analysts speculate that Hajiji is likely to call for it before National Day though some within Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) are keen for elections to take place after Malaysia Day. It remains unclear whether Hajiji will call for a GRS supreme council meeting immediately after his party congress to discuss dates for a dissolution. A leader with GRS indicated that there was no scheduled GRS supreme council meeting or any planned convention among parties so far this month. But they expect Hajiji to have a clear mandate from his party on its alliances and preferred dissolution dates after his party congress. Some members within the eight-party grouping prefer having the state assembly go into a full term so that they could capitalise on Sabah Day, which marks the state's independence from British colonial rule on on Aug 31, 1963. They have indicated that celebrating Sabah Day on Aug 31 would boost the coalition's push for state autonomy, in line with the groundswell for state's rights under Malaysia Agreement 1963, the basis of Sabah joining the federation. Though many feel it makes little difference, some leaders are of the view that celebrating Sabah Day before the election would be a boost and help create a feel-good sentiment for GRS, which had been caught in issues related to graft allegations and delayed infrastructure deliveries. On his part, Hajiji had said that he would get the consensus of GRS leaders before approaching Governor Tun Musa Aman for the dissolution of the assembly. Political analyst Prof Dr Romzi Ationg, a senior lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, believed Hajiji would likely seek the dissolution of the assembly within days after the Gagasan Rakyat congress. 'I don't think Hajiji will wait any longer. 'I believe the Chief Minister needs to weigh in on the views of some of his federal counterparts who want to see an election held sooner. 'But many are hoping that GRS will opt for a full term as they are in a dire need to solve or at least minimise problems such as water shortage and electricity issues,' Romzi said. Sabah's last election was held on Sept 26, 2020. State assembly Speaker Datuk Seri Kadzim Yahya has explained previously that the automatic dissolution will take place on Nov 11, if the assembly is not dissolved before that. He said the five-year term of the 16th Sabah assembly is calculated from the date of its first sitting on Nov 12, 2020.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Malaysia reviews six maritime laws to boost industry competitiveness
PETALING JAYA: The Ministry of Transport is reviewing six key maritime laws to modernise Malaysia's shipping sector and align regulations with current industry demands. Transport Minister Anthony Loke confirmed the review includes the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952 and related Sabah and Sarawak ordinances. A special committee chaired by Federal Court Judge Tan Sri Nallini Pathmanathan will oversee the legislative updates. The proposed amendments are expected to reach Parliament within a year. Loke clarified that the revisions aim to harmonise laws across Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak without undermining state rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963. The review covers the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1960 (Sabah), Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1960 (Sarawak), Penang Port Commission Act 1955, Port Authorities Act 1963, and the Port (Privatisation) Act 1990. Loke stressed that the federal government has no plans to take over Sabah and Sarawak's maritime authority. Separately, the ministry plans to introduce the Admiralty Bill this year to establish a specialised maritime court. Currently, shipping disputes are handled by the High Court. The new court would streamline maritime case resolutions. – Bernama
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
Review maritime laws with Sabah, Sarawak a harmonisation exercise, says Loke
KUALA LUMPUR: The government will review maritime laws with Sabah and Sarawak, ensuring that the process respects the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and preserves the states' maritime powers. Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the Malaysia Maritime Law Revision and Reform Committee (MLRRC) had been given one year to complete their review, which was aimed to harmonise the outdated laws. "All six Acts will be reviewed in an integrated manner, and we hope to take a more comprehensive approach. "The principle here is that we are not looking to consolidate authorities, especially with regard to merchant shipping. We are not trying to merge or take over any authority from Sabah and Sarawak. "Maritime powers under the Sabah and Sarawak governments will remain intact. We respect the MA63. "What we are doing now is a harmonisation exercise. By harmonisation, we mean that if there are inconsistencies or conflicting provisions across laws, we aim to align them so that the legal provisions between the peninsula, Sabah, and Sarawak are consistent. "That is what we are working on, with cooperation and consent from the Sabah and Sarawak governments," he told reporters after officiating Malaysia Maritime Week today. Last week, Loke announced the establishment of MLRRC, which would be chaired by Federal Court judge Tan Sri Nallini Pathmanathan. The first phase of the MLRRC Committee's assignment will focus on six main legislative instruments, namely the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952, Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1960 (Sabah) and the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1960 (Sarawak). Other instruments include the Penang Port Commission Act 1955, the Port Authorities Act 1963 and the Port (Privatisation) Act 1990. The MLRRC membership consists of 23 permanent representatives from ministries or departments, and the Sabah and Sarawak governments. Loke said the revision was necessary as many of the existing maritime laws were outdated and had not been amended. "Many of these laws are no longer relevant or in line with current developments. We need to revisit them to ensure our maritime industry remains competitive," he said. He added that although the committee tasked with the review was given a one-year timeframe, they had been instructed to expedite the process. "Once the review is completed, we will appoint consultants to examine the legislation and draft the necessary amendments. When the drafts are ready, they can be presented to the ministry at any time. "We hope that starting this year, we will be able to table proposed amendments during every parliamentary sitting," he said.
The Star
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Sabah assembly could dissolve within days of Gagasan Rakyat congress, says analysts
KOTA KINABALU: Political watchers are weighing in on the possibility of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor dissolving the state assembly within days after his Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) three-day congress from July 25-27. With only four months to the automatic dissolution on Nov 11, some analysts speculate that Hajiji is likely to call for it before National Day (Aug 31), though some within Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) are keen for elections to take place after Malaysia Day (Sept 16). However, it is still not clear if Hajiji will call for a GRS supreme council meeting immediately after his party's congress to discuss dates for dissolution. A GRS leader indicated that there was no scheduled GRS supreme council meeting or any planned convention among parties scheduled for this month so far. But, they expect Hajiji to have a clear mandate from his party on its alliances and preferred dissolution dates after his party's congress. Some members within the eight-party GRS prefer going it the full term as they could capitalise on Sabah Day, which is the celebration of the state's independence from British colonial rule on Aug 31, 1963. They have indicated celebrating Sabah Day would boost the local coalition's push for state autonomy in line with the growing groundswell for state rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963, the basis of Sabah joining the federation. Though many feel that it makes little difference, some leaders think that celebrating Sabah Day before the election would be a booster and help create a feel-good mood for GRS caught in delayed infrastructure deliveries and graft issues. Hajiji, himself, has said that he will get the consensus of GRS leaders before advising the Governor Tun Musa Aman on the dissolution of the assembly. Political analyst Prof Dr Romzi Ationg, a senior lecturer of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), believes that Hajiji was likely to seek the dissolution of the assembly within days after the Gagasan Rakyat congress. "I don't think Hajiji will wait longer, I believe the Chief Minister needs to weigh in on the views of some of his federal counterparts who want to see an election held sooner. "But many are hoping GRS opts for a full term as they are in a dire need to, at least, minimise, if not, solve many problems such as water shortages, electricity issues etc. "Despite that, many are of the opinion that Hajiji will likely dissolve the current assembly after the Gagasan Rakyat congress," he said, explaining that holding the 17th state election in September or October could be considered going a full term as the 16th state election was held on Sept 26, 2020. Gagasan Rakyat, a Muslim native based multiracial party, with its 26 state seats, is the anchor party of GRS, while non-Muslim based Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) with seven seats and Sabah STAR with six seats are the major partners of GRS. GRS holds 42 seats in the 79-seat (including six nominated seats) state assembly. Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah (Harapan Rakyat) have one seat each, while other GRS component partners without a seat are the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) and Usno. GRS is currently in coalition with Sabah Pakatan Harapan, who hold seven state seats. GRS is ready to continue to work with Sabah Pakatan in an electoral pact for the election, but most of its components insist that GRS should be the dominant partner in line with the state's autonomous rights. Sabah Barisan, which broke away from the GRS government in January 2023, is forging a coalition with Sabah Pakatan in line with the political framework of the federal unity government. Both GRS and Barisan have refused to work with each other.
